Things Change
by La Belle Rose Noire
Summary: Apocalypse took everything she cared about. her friends, her family. She knew they needed her help, and she was going to find a way. So when a certian Cajun thief shows up when she needs it the most, her life changes forever. ROMY!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! It's me! Obviously I don't own x-men evolution so it goes without saying. Lol. Set just after professor Xavier and storm were taken by apocalypse. Not going to mess with accents much, because we all know who speaks how. And spell check will go red and I just hate those squiggly red lines. many a thanks to FruitCase, who edited and tweaked my story, so now it's better! girl you are amazing!**

Nothing lasts forever. That was what Rouge was thinking as she ran from the mansion under the blanket of stars.

She remembered what had happened earlier with a sad frown.

_"This is all your fault! If it wasn't for you the Professor would still be here! Storm would still be here!" Jean screamed, her handS clenched and tears welling in her eyes. Scott stood beside her like a mirror image. "If you hadn't released Apocalypse, then the Professor wouldn't have gone to stop him! And then Storm wouldn't have gone with him and they would both still be here!"_

_"They knew this could happen, Red,' said Logan, standing beside Rogue. 'Both the professor and storm knew the risk." _

_"Risk? There wouldn't have been a risk if she hadn't released apocalypse," Scott whispered, pain evident in his voice. Behind his visor, a light coloured red glowed brighter. _

_"She was controlled by Mesmero, one eye. If I remember rightly, so was yeh girlfriend. I didn't see you blaming her." _

_"Don't pin this on me," cried Jean. "Don't you dare."_

_Enough, Rogue had thought. I don't want to be blamed. It wasn't my fault! Don't they realise how guilty I feel? If it wasn't for me ... They're right. What they're saying is completely right! It is my fault. _

_Engrossed in their argument, Jean, Scott and Logan didn't notice Rogue retreat from the Rec room. She was always good at being unnoticed. She sped down the hallway at full speed, receiving puzzled looks from the other students. She burst into her shared room and grabbed her bag, previously packed; she had planned to run away before. She knew it was her fault the Professor and Storm were dead. Kitty was nowhere to be seen, so she must have been out with Lance. _

_"That's good," the Goth mumbled to herself, tears falling down her pale cheeks, "that'll give me more time to get out." _

That was where she was now. Running. Like always. She had stayed with this family for long enough. Nothing lasts forever, she reminded herself.

Climbing over the wall, her combat boots silencing her landing from the prying ears of the security cameras, Rouge started down the dark road, melting into the midnight darkness.

Careful to make as little noise as possible, Rouge opened the door to a road side gas station just outside of Bayville. The clerk, busy watching the muted football game on television, simply gestured to the back without turning from his seat. "Bathrooms are out of order."

"That's fine. I just need to know where the closest bus station is."  
"Just over the next hill."

"Thank you."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

A few minutes after Rogue had departed, Logan had had enough.

"Let's all just calm down!" he shouted over the yelling of Jean and Scott. "Rouge, are you –?" Logan turned around to find only empty space where his Stripes had been only a few minutes.

Jean snorted. "I knew she was a coward. She doesn't even have the guts to stick around and listen to the truth."

"Watch it, Red," Logan growled. "You're walking on really thin ice about now."

"Oh, I'm not done yet. She WILL listen to what I have to say." Jean turned and exited the Rec room.

"Jean!" called Scott following.

Logan sighed and followed. Jean was intent on letting out her misguided grief and anger over losing the Professor and Storm on Rogue. Even if she'd regret what she would say later, Logan feared the lasting effects it could have for Rogue. He jogged up the marvel staircase, Scott and Jean ahead of him, and watched as she telekinetically shoved Rogue's bedroom door open.

"Where is she?" Jean said. "Where the heck is she?"

Logan came into the room and found it absent of Rogue. Not only that, but Rogue's side of the room was bare compared to usual. Jean opened up her closet and found most of her clothes had gone.

"S-She's gone," said Jean.

Logan shook his head. "No way. She wouldn't have left."

"What's this about Rogue going?" Bobby entered the room, his face downcast. "She said she'd let me borrow her copy of Dracula."

"Don't you have a DR session to get to or something?" Jean snapped.

"Touchy touchy! Fine Ice Man out."

"Jean, listen to me. No matter what your feeling towards her right now," Logan began, "yeh have to find her. This ain't a good time for the X Men to fall apart. We're all the worlds got right now, and whether you like it or not, Rogue's a part of this family. She's strong and we need her."

It took a moment for the telepath to agree. She raised her hands to her temple. Logan watched her intently as she searched for Rogue.

"Try looking at the music store. She liked that place," said Scott, almost embarrassed.

"And try the Bayville Coffee Shop, too," Logan suggested.

Jean nodded and scrunched up her face. "I ... I can't find her. I'm looking everywhere. She's not in Bayville ... but I can't sense her anywhere else either." She removed her hands from her face and looked at the two men. "She's just ... gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**again i dont own it so dont sue me. thank you to everyone who reviewed and an especial thanks to FruitCase (so this is her story also). who has really helped me out. Love ya all!**

_I have to forget about them,_ Rogue thought, thinking of  
the X Men, her friends._ I know I have to help them with Apocalypse,_  
_but I can't do it with them. The only way I can is if I stay away._

The train station was busy today; people strode across the platforms on their  
mobile phones, men in suits jogged as they glimpsed at their watches: everyone  
seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere, whilst she was in a hurry to get  
away.

Rogue stood behind a man who was talking to the ticket assistant. They were  
arguing over something though she didn't care to listen. She watched as a  
train stopped at platform B, the announcement resounding throughout the  
station.

_I wonder if anyone's noticed I've gone yet, _she wondered.  
_Will they even bother to come after me?_ She frowned.  
_Probably not. They all blame me. And I don't blame_  
_them._

The man in front of her swore and then stomped away from the ticket booth.

"Hurry, lady, I ain't got all day," the ticket assistant said. Rogue bit her  
lip; she didn't want to be too discourteous to him since he was selling the  
tickets. She couldn't help but study the man: he had long slimy hair that fell  
down his shirt, almost like a waterfall of grease. She tried not to stare at  
his chin which was specked with crumbs and smudges of chocolate, or at the  
stains on his uniform. She briefly wondered how he could fit into the little  
ticket cubicle he was sat it, what with his beer gut hanging out, marks  
appearing where the skin had stretch. She swallowed the disgust that rose in  
her throat.

"Wanna take a picture, sweetheart?" he grumbled.

_No thank you,_she thought.  
She stepped forward and placed her bag on the floor.

"I'd like a ticket south, please."

"Farthest south this line runs is Mississippi. Leaves in thirty minutes.

"Great. I'll take that please."

"Do you know how these things work, hunny?'

_If he calls me a pet name one more time I swear I'll punch him into_  
_next week,_

"You give me my ticket and I walk away happily while you carry on your  
exciting job?" I said.

He narrowed his eyes. "I don't like brats with an attitude."

"I don't like ticket guys who don't give me my tickets."

"I need yeh money first."

"Good thing I've got some then."

They exchanged the money and the ticket in silence and she left him alone to  
grumble.

As she waited for the train to come, she wondered, is anyone missing me at  
all? Despite convincing herself she was guilty of the Professor and Storm's  
death, despite Jean and Scott insisting it was her fault, she wanted them to  
miss her. She had been a part of their family after all. Even Jean who she  
disliked the most was her friend in a way. Or at least her family – the  
cousin she didn't like.

_I'll find a way,_ she thought, clenching her hands.

_I'll find a way to bring them back. I don't know how, but I will. I_  
_won't leave the X Men to fight this alone. Even if it means I have to stay far_  
_away._

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Striding down the stairs Scott's worries rose. How could Rogue just run away  
like that? Wasn't she supposed to be a part of the team? Didn't she realise  
that Jean was just angry and hadn't meant what she said? Sure, the situation  
could have been handled better, but he and Jean had known the Professor all  
their lives practically. They loved him like a father. They couldn't fight  
Apocalypse, so the only person they could take their grief out on was Rogue.  
_It was childish of us, _thought Scott, _but they_  
_were words with no meaning, not from the heart._

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Logan was stood there, his face stern  
as always. No one seemed to smile anymore, not now Apocalypse was in the world  
once more.

"We really don't need this," Scott said. "We need to stick together. We can't  
just run after Rogue."

"Kinda funny hearing you say that when you're the one who made her leave,  
One-Eye."

Scott looked to the floor.

"Here." Logan tossed something that jangled.

Scott caught it and looked at it. "Car keys? Where are you going?"

"Correction: we."

"Where are we going?"

"We are going to find Rogue."

"And I'm going to help."

Both men turned to find Jean coming towards them, her red hair bouncing.

"So you can torture her more?" asked Logan.

She frowned. "I ... I don't know what came over me. One minute the Professor  
was with us, the next he and Storm ... they ..." She held back a cry. "They're  
dead, and I could only blame Rogue. I shouldn't have. I know that. But I want  
to help you find her. I want to gain her forgiveness."

Scott watched Logan stare at her with intenseness in his eyes.

"Fine," Logan said, turning away and walking towards the garage.

Scott exchanged a look with her.

"I am sorry," she said.

He nodded. "I know."

He took her hand and they followed Logan.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Rogue watched as the scenery zoomed by her. She had plugged her i Pod  
headphones in her ears; her music always soothed her.

_How can that music make you smile like that when it sounds so_  
_depressing? _Kitty had once asked, laughing.

Kitty.

She'd probably miss her room-mate the most.

_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._


	3. Chapter 3

**okay guys, it is infact me! revised from my previous chapter, edeted by FruitCase, it's up! Read and review please! sorry i had to repoast it. long story but it's stupid so i'll just...shut up now...**

It was a few minutes past four in the morning at Brookhaven, MS. The abandoned  
car park was quiet, the moon highlighting the old and discarded bikes. A few  
lampposts flickered, illuminating the cracked pavement, though most were  
broken. There was a faint noise, like someone landing on the floor. Rogue, her  
hair tied back into a bobble, jumped over the fence and into the car park. She  
took her time choosing a bike, worried that they might fall apart on her if  
she rode them. The last one looked promising though, and she briefly wondered  
why someone would throw it away. Sure, it needed a fix-up, but it couldn't  
have cost too much to do so. The handle bars were rusted and the side mirrors  
cracked; the seat's padding had been torn; vines and plants had attached  
themselves to the wheel, and the stand had worn a hole into the pavement. It's  
better than nothing, she reminded herself.

She began hotwiring the engine: Logan taught me one good lesson after all.  
After a few minutes, a plume of black smoke spat out the exhaust pipe and the  
engine roared back to life. Rogue smiled. At least it works, she thought. She  
climbed onto it, got herself comfy, and rode the bike out of the car park and  
past the lights.  
Finally, was her last thought, now it's time t' head t' the Big Easy.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

To say Scott Summers was exhausted was an understatement. Trudging into the  
house as the first faint signs of dawn were painting the dark sky, he groaned  
and collapsed onto the couch in the front hall. Jean followed his example and  
closed her eyes. Logan had dragged them all over the coast, following the  
train tracks after determining that Rouge had walked to the station.

"She must have really wanted to get away." Scott looked at Jean, whose eyes  
were still closed. "I can't believe I made her leave."

"Yah, like I can't either." Kitty glared at the pair as she entered the room.  
"Me and Bobby were looking all over for her today too. It's not safe with  
Apocalypse around, it's no time for us all to be separated! What is your  
problem with her? She belongs here. Why would you say those things to her?"

"Kitty we-" Jean began.

"No you know what? There's like, no reason she should be gone. It wasn't her  
fault what happened! You know that as well as anyone, Jean. You didn't exactly  
fight mind control either."

"Kitty –" Scott said.

"No," Jean interjected, "she's right ... But at the time –"

"No way! I totally don't want to stand here and listen to you spout excuses.  
I'm going to find her and  
bring her home – where she belongs."

Scott leaned forward. "But you must be tired after looking –"

Kitty glared. "It doesn't matter about me right now." As she went to the door,  
Logan stepped through the threshold. He didn't look well: his eyes were red  
and his face was rather pale.

"Half-pint?" he muttered. "Where you going in such a hurry?"

"Where do you think? I'm going to get my best friend back." She phased through  
him but he stepped back too quickly, causing her to bang into him. She  
narrowed her eyes at him. "What's your problem? You want to find Rogue too,  
right?"

"You can't go off on your own, Kitty," he said.

Scott stared at them. He knew Logan must be serious if he was using her real  
name.

"Why? We have to find her, Logan. Who knows what could happen to her if we  
don't! Apocalypse could attack at any time a-and ... and we m-might not ...  
ever see her again!" Scott could see she was trying to hold back her tears and  
the cries that rose in her throat.

Logan looked at her softly, a rare look, Scott thought. With that one gesture,  
Kitty fell into his arms, sobbing.

'I-I just want h-her to come back!" she cried. "S-She's my best friend. I  
don't want a-anything bad to happen to her. W-We're all family! We have t-to  
stick together."  
Logan patted her back as she cried, and Scott stood and put a hand on her  
shoulder. He knew what he had done had caused this, and that Kitty of all  
people probably didn't want his sympathy, but it didn't change the fact that  
this girl was his family, and that he never wanted to see her cry –  
especially if he was the underlying cause.

After a while she composed herself.

"Go get some rest, kid," Logan said. "We're doing everything we can to find  
her, and I'm not gonna give up either – I promise you that."

After she left the room, Logan sighed and turned to Jean and Scott who were  
sat on the sofa.

"You two need some sleep too," he said.

"And you," said Jean, "especially you."

He shook his head. "I got some things to do."

"Like?"

"Just go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

Knowing Logan couldn't be swayed, they both retreated to their rooms. Sleep,  
Logan suggested, but was he aware of how impossible that routine was now?

**sorry its so short! and for all of you impatient romy people (i'm one of the many so i cant complain) the rajin cajun is going to make a rather startaling appearence very soon... love y'all (Aparentally since i have been writing this story, i have aquired more of a southern accent to add to my already mildly thick one. lol)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay so I'm trying to start writing longer chapter, but I could really use some help. Any ideas about things that should happen or suggestion, please tell me! Send me a message! I'm begging y'all!**

"I can't believe you guys are, like, even considering not going after her." Kitty shouted at Jean and Scott, her fists clenched. "Does it even matter to you that we may never see her again."

"Of course we do. But the world needs us right now, with apocalypse gaining more power as we speak, we need to concentrate on the larger threat." Jean was in that mood again, her expression a forced patience and her voice similar to that of a parent to an ignorant child.

"But we need her. She is the only one of us that may have enough power to take him down." Kitty was getting impatient. They just wouldn't see her point, it's like they didn't even care. "Were not even trying very hard. Ceribro is working, but you haven't once tried to find her with it."

"Kitty we have tried to find her, and when apocalypse is taken down we will be free to do everything we need to to find her. But the world is going to end if we don't do something and do something soon."

Kitty started to protest, but Logan stepped out of the shadows. She glared at Scott and Jean as he began to speak. "Kitty, I miss her too, we all do. And I agree with you that we need to find her. She may very well be the only one who can stop apocalypse, but their right. I don't like it, but that's the way it is."

"But she is like, part of the team Logan."

"I know that kid. Jean will try Ceribro" a glare at the red-head stopped any comment from coming. "And if we find her, we will get her back before we do anything concerning apocalypse. I swear it."

Kitty hesitated, then nodded as they all headed towards Ceribro

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Stumbling into an alleyway behind a best buy in Hammond, Louisiana Rouge felt her knees give out the moment she was clear of view from the street. _I have got to give myself more time to find a crash spot next time._ She had been riding all day and her legs had gone numb hours ago from the combined heat radiating off the engine and the pressure she used to hold herself on. Not to mention the fact that she hadn't slept more than fifteen minutes since she'd run.

Eyes fluttering, she just laid for a moment, her mind foggy yet not quite able to shut down for the night. _I wonder what they're doing. _The very thought of her former family was enough to make her want to cry. _But I can't cry. I'm Rouge. Or I was anyways._ Sighing, she closed her eyes and forced herself into sleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"But momma, I don't want to go to school." A young girl, about six years old stood outside a large, brick building. Her arms wrapped around her mother's covered legs, wrists locked together in a show of defiance not many were used to seeing from young southern bells. "I want to stay at home with you." Her voice was choked with emotion and her mother smiled.

"Marie dear, I promise you, you will be safe and sound here at school. I will be back to pick you up at the end of the day." The mother said, brushing her brown hair from her blank, sightless eyes. The black glasses she normally wore hung clasped to her purse, put there to avoid being lost.

"But what if you need something, I won't be there to help you like I always am." Marie pointed out "What if you fall, or get lost." She paled at the thought, though her guardian couldn't see it. Her mother laughed.

"You make it sound as though I'm a lost dog. You know Justin will drive me home, he drives us everywhere. And I'm sure I can manage to not get into any trouble for a few hours." She kissed Marie's cheek. "Have a good day at school. I'm sure you'll like it more then you expect." Hugging the girl hard, she turned and used her walking stick to find her way back to the car, where their driver opened the door for her and drove away.

Turning to the building ahead of her, Marie sighed and walked through the doors into what she would soon come to refer to as her personal hell.

A few months later, Marie snuck out of her kindergarten class, with the intent of using the cell phone she had been given for emergencies to call and check up on her mother as she did most every day. Walking out onto the playground, she dialed the number for her home phone, which she knew automatically by now.

Three rings and the voice machine came on. "Hello, this is Irene and Marie, we can't get to the phone at the moment, so please leave a message and we will return your call as soon as we can. Have a good day and god bless." The beep sounded and Marie sighed. Irene had lately taken to not answering when she called, saying she should know by now that her mother could take care of herself on her own.

Hurrying down the hall, she passed the teachers' lounge; the door cracked a little bit to let out the heat of the sun and a cool breeze blow threw the room from the cracked window.

"I swear that girl is odd, she doesn't like socializing with the other children, and any time someone comes near her she flinches away, saying something ridiculous about a skin disease. Just the other day she almost clawed out one of the boys eyes because he stole her glove. She's a little devil." Her teacher's voice droned and Marie rolled her eyes.

"Sounds like a regular Rouge personality to me." The English accent of the school's principal quirked. "Had a few of those in my classes over the years. Give her time, she'll come around and be playing with the other children like every other little girl out there."

Walking away from the door, Marie grinned. They thought she was bad now. _Just wait and see how bad I can be._

The next few weeks, her soul purpose in life was to make her teachers miserable. She had stopped answering to Marie, saying it was too much of a girl's name. When one of the other children pointed out the obvious fact that she was, in fact a girl, she had just smiled maliciously.

"Well then what would you like to be called mari-" her teacher cut herself off, pressing her fingers to her eyes to stop the slight twitch beginning to start.

"Rouge." the girl responded responded. Little did she know, the name would become much more than a title used to annoy her teachers.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Rouge awoke to the dawn sun shining down into her eyes. "Kitty close the dam curtains, I'm-" she sat up, startled for a moment to find that she was not in her bed back at the institute. Then she sighed, and stood, grabbing her bag from its spot as her pillow and headed into the city.

_I hate flash-backs. As if I'm not screwed up enough with all these memories of other people in my head, I don't need to start remembering the ones I purposely shoved away._

She had parked the bike, which she had affectionately come to refer to as Al, in the lot of the gas station a few blocks down from where she had spent the night. Groaning at the sight of a cluster of three teenage boys leaning against it, she picked up her pace, intending to get herself in and out as fast as she could with minimal damage.

"Y'all mind telling me what you're doing near my bike."

Pushing off of his post sitting against the motor, the man who appeared to be the leader smirked. "What's a pretty girl like you doing with a shitty bike like this?" his goons laughed and Rouge resisted the urge to drain each one of their smug faces.

"Seems to me that that's not any of your business. I got places to be so either you back off and let me get back to my life, or I can make you and there is no guarantee that you'll have much of one to get back to when I'm done." Getting impatient, Rouge shoved her way through the crowd and shoved one of the guys off the seat and stared the motor, revving the throttle.

"Hey bitch, no one touches me like that." The boy had picked himself up off the pavement and his bare fist closing in rapidly onto her face. Without time to react, or a place to dodge to, Rouge's eyes widened and she braced herself. The fist plowed into her cheek, and a flash of lights erupted around the duo. Rouge yelped and gunned the bike out onto the street, leaving the man collapsed in a heap on the ground, his friends standing shocked around him.

_No, no, no. this can't happen. _Tears streaming down her face, Rouge darted between back allies and side streets, avoiding police with the new information that had been forced into her mind. By the time the boy came to, Rouge was far away, leaving Hammond in the dust.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

People whizzed by, psyches of people she didn't even know passing in and out of her life in the blink of an eye. Jean squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating on the little she knew about her team mates mind.

The mutant population was expanding, Jean could feel it. New surges in active x-genes were becoming more and more frequent, with the most centering around the pyramids apocalypse had taken control of.

_If we don't stop him, the world could end and we'll all die. _Jean grumbled mentally. Beast and Kurt had been searching through ancient manuscripts for any way to stop apocalypse. So far they had turned up nothing. Kurt, who had sided with Kitty in the debate of where their main search efforts should lie, had grumbled the entire time he worked, saying in German how Rouge would be able to take down apocalypse, if only they could find her.

_This is a waste of time. When apocalypse is gone, we can find Rouge but now we need to concentrate on saving the world. _

Her mutterings were interrupted by a sharp mental blast. Ceribro instantly took her to a city in the south. Jean had only a moment before her psyche was thrust into the mind of a powerful mutant. Confusion rang threw her mind before she cleared her thoughts. _No, no, no. this can't happen._

Jean knew that voice, even in the mind, she recognized Rouge as she speed away, tears leaking down her face.

Yanking off the helmet, Jean sighed. The doors slid apart and Kitty, Kurt and Logan all hurried in to her.

"Like, did you find her?"

"Did you see my sister?"

Logan's voice the night before echoed threw her mind. _They won't stop apocalypse if I tell them I know where Rouge is._

Three pairs of eyes stared at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"Well red, you see anything?" Logan asked roughly

Jean squared her shoulders, and closed her eyes. "No, I didn't see anything that could help us find her." Without another word, she walked out of the chamber, guilt like a cloud in her mind.

**Okay so that's a bit longer. I guess. I'm going to gradually start making longer chapters, one page in Microsoft, to two, up to three and so on. How many Microsoft pages make a decent sized chapter? Anyone with suggestions let me know. I also need good music to listen to while I'm writing so any ideas would be great! Love y'all. Oh and guess what! Remy is going to pop up in the next chapter, one after that at the latest. Keep in mind that this has only happened over like, one or two days. Lol. Post expected soon. ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! It's me again. Thank everyone who reviewed it totally made me happy! So I have a question for y'all. Should I put the whole carol Danvers fiasco into this story, or the one I'm going to do when I finish this one, which won't be for a while because I'm aiming for at least 30 chapters? I'm leaning towards no, because apocalypse and carol at the same time would be a little bit overwhelming both for me to write, and for you to read. Also should I put in the LeBeau family? I don't even know where I'm going to portray their characters, but …I'm just going to the story now. **

New Orleans. The big easy. Home to Marti Gras and year round parties. It was the home to many different walks of life, languages, cultures, races. If it existed, it had a home in New Orleans.

Walking down Bourbon Street, Rouge's eyes swept in a paranoid arc across the sidewalk in front of her, to the sides. New Orleans may be a beautiful, historically brimming hub for all things the heart could desire. But old habits die hard, Logan had trained her well. The paranoid pessimistic lectures about being aware of your surroundings at all times back at the institute had apparently resonated with the young Goth.

The blur of a gloved hand slipping into the unguarded pocket of a tourist with a booming mid-western accent only confirmed her suspicions. _They just think they're so damn invulnerable. Nobody's gonna steal from them because they're not one of those people who get ripped off. _The little street thief dashed away, and Rouge snorted. _Tourists._

Though technically she herself was a tourist, she didn't see it that way. Living in the mansion for so long had taught her something. No matter where you are, or what you're doing, you're never quite alone. You're never safe; things are never at all what you think they are. And for a mutant, there is never such a thing as a vacation. Ever.

Making her way down the narrow sidewalks, she closed her eyes; the last time she had been to New Orleans flashing threw her brain. _No, I have never been here before. That was not me. _The psyches were getting harder to keep track of, and though apocalypse had ripped most of them away a few months ago, some memories remained, lasting remnants of those she had had the displeasure of actually coming into contact with.

_The last thing I need at the moment is to lose control again. _She thought darkly. _And without the professor or even Jean here to help get them out, things could get much worse. _

Flashes of memories zipped through her mind, not her own but those of her friends of when she had lost control. The memories were horrifying. The constant shape shifting, the hurricane force winds, physic blasts, laser beams, all her team mates powers being shot back at them from her possessed body. Though she had no recollection of the event for herself, it was all too real for the others. Kurt's desperation, Kitty's fear, Scotts determination, all those emotions were still a part of her in a very real sense.

Her head snapping up, Rouge felt her shoulders tense as a young man slipped out of a shop, poliece officers hot on his feet. The man was fast, and had quickly gained a substantial lead of the guards. As he blow past her their eyes met and Rouge couldn't make herself look away. His eyes, a midnight black with an island of vibrant red swam with excitement. His dusty brown hair blowing in his own breeze shimmered in the lights, casting a sort of halo around the chiseled features of his face.

He stopped, just three feet away from her. Taking her hand in hers before she could jerk away, he smiled mischievously and winked. Sliding something into her palm he studies her for what seemed to be an eternity. Then the moment ended and he was off again.

_w-what just happened? W-who was that, that guy?_ Barely able to form a thought, Rouge blinked a few times to clear her head. What was with her today? _N-no no. I'm not that girl. I will not be the girl who sees some guy on the street and falls head over heels. No. I'm just tired is all. _Opening her palm, she studied the small object he had passed her. "A necklace?" it was a small thing, a thin gold chain with a sapphire pendant dangling off the end. Then a thought occurred to her. _This is what he just stole._ Her mind screamed at her to get rid of it, put it anywhere, as long as it wasn't on her. The officers surrounded her, and a dark skinned cop wrenched her arms behind her back. Another, white with blonde hair, snatched the stolen goods out of her palm.

"W-what do you think you're doing?" she cried out. "It wasn't me I swear he just-"she cut herself off. Like they were ever going to buy her story.

"You're coming with us." The light skinned one replied, his fingers biting into her skin beneath her shirt. He reached for his handcuffs. "You're under arrest for suspicion of aiding coercing with a criminal. You have the…." that was as far as he got, because as his partner snapped the cuffs into place, his hand brushed the little patch of pale white skin that her gloves left exposed. He made a small choking sound, his eyes going dull and lights erupting around the duo.

"What the hell?" the blonde screamed. Releasing his hold on Rouge, he grabbed his partner and shook him urgently. "Darrell?" his eyes blazed as he turned to Rouge, who's knees had given out and was currently sprawled out on the pavement.

A crowd had gathered around them, hostile faces all staring at her with differing amounts of fear, curiosity, wonder and hatred painting their features. The officer helped his partner into a chair and snarled at Rouge.

"She's a mutant." Was all that needed to be said for the crowd to become violent. Debris and food was thrown at her. A plastic cup, still half-full with alcohol splashed into her eyes. She cried out but it did no good, nobody cared if they hurt her.

"Disgusting mutant…"

"Demon child…"

"No right to…"

Curses and threats filled the air before the officer felt the need to step in as a large man kicked Rouge in the chest. Hauling her up, he shoved Rouge into the back of a squad car that had pulled over to survey the damage.

Tears falling, Rouge watched desperately as he slammed the door and helped his slightly less out of it partner into the squad car. _This can't be happening to me. _

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_I should have known._ Was rouges thought as she paced the cell, a five by six concrete box with no window and only a small door in the wall. _I should have known. Only a guy who wants to cause trouble would pay me the slightest bit of attention._ The officer, Darrell his name was, should be waking up by now. His memories were flowing through her mind. _That guy, he's part of some crime family. They've been after him for a while. Guess that's why they arrested me. God I'm such an idiot. _

She sat down on the cot, the only furnishing in her little prison besides a toilet, mirror that had been bolted to the wall and a chair, also bolted into the ground. Hissing as the skin on her side, a tender bruise beginning to form where she had been kicked stretched. The cotton fabric of her shirt, they had let her keep her own because nobody wanted to come near her, offered very little comfort.

_I need to find a way out of here. I can't spend my life in jail, and that's for sure where they're going to keep me because I'm a mutant._

Closing her eyes, she allowed a few tears to escape down her cheek. The despair that threatened to take over her clung to her skin like a coat, heavy and hard to ignore.

Since they had thrown her in, Rouge had had a lot of time to think. About her life, her past, but mostly, she thought about the future, and what she needed to do to stop the impending doom that was most certainly coming.

_So now what?_

It was a good question, and though she had spent hours mulling it over in her mind, she still was no closer to answering it than she was at the beginning. If anything, she was more confused than ever.

The only way the world would survive was if she got out of prison and helped the x-men, she knew they would never let him win without a fight. She just needed to get out, and then she'd plan things as she went, or just wing it, what ever worked.

_Wow, look what you've accomplished in the last few hours Rouge. Absolutely nothing. _The cynical part of her brain snarled. _There's no way you're going to be able to get out, much less defeat apocalypse. You're naive if you think you even stand a chance. The X-men won't help you, they don't even like you. You're the reason the professor and storm died. What makes you think they'd accept your help?_

The nagging doubt that they would, in face turn her away even if she did somehow manage to redeem herself took hold and her imagination, with the help of some personal experience in revenge, was able to create some very detailed and scary possibilities.

But before she could get out of hand, her voice of reason piped up and pointed out the fact that even if they can't forgive her, they wouldn't turn away help when it was for the sake of the world. Scott and Jean would just have to swallow their stupid pride and deal because Rouge wouldn't stop, ever, until apocalypse was stopped.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Kitty couldn't sleep. She hadn't been able to sleep for the past few nights actually. She kept tossing and turning restlessly. The room didn't feel the same without Rouge there. It was like half of the room had been torn out, leaving a glaring empty hole staring back in her face. _I guess it has. Who know how much I depended on Rouge._ Since she had left, Kitty had only done the bare minimum. She didn't offer to cook, even if she wasn't very good. She didn't ask to drive, or offered to do extra training sessions to help train the new recruits. She did what she was asked, no more, no less.

Much to Scott and Jean's confusion, she hadn't even gone to the mall. They had known Rouge was her best friend, but neither of them could have even guessed the affect her leaving would have on their shadowcat.

Fed up with waiting for the sleep that obviously was never going to come, Kitty pushed the covers off and phased her way out into the hall as to now wake any of the others. Rouge had always walked the mansion when she had trouble finding sleep, so Kitty thought she'd give it a try.

Walking silently down into the main foyer, she huffed out a breath and plopped into her favorite chair. _I wonder where she is right now. Is she alright? God, I should have been there for her. _Tears began to track their way down her cheeks, and she was almost surprised that she hadn't worn a hole in her skin from the amount of crying she had been doing the last few days. _Of all the days I decide to sneak out to see lance, it had to be the day Jean and Scott lose their cool. And on Rouge of all people, who already has a hard time trusting. _

She knew Scott and Jean felt horrible for what they had said, but she didn't have it in her to forgive them; she didn't think she would until they found Rouge again. Jean had tried to explain, but Kitty had been unmoved by her tears. _She deserves to cry a bit. _

Scott was not much better. Though he hadn't tried to explain, knew he was much more hurt and angry then he would ever let on. She knew this, because she had seen him in the library, sitting in rouges favorite spot. He didn't notice her; he was too busy staring out the window. His expression, even behind the glasses was one of complete and utter regret.

Twirling a lock of her hair around her pinky as staring into nothingness, Kitty didn't notice anyone until a hand was laid on her shoulder. Startled, she whirled to face him, relaxing a bit when she recognized him.

"Hey Kurt, like what are you doing awake?"

"I could ask you the same thing, but I have a feeling it will be a waste of time." He smiled quietly, though it didn't reach his eyes. His fingers whipped away the tears that she hadn't known were still falling. "I miss her to. You can talk to me Kitty, I'm here for you."

"What's there to say Kurt? We both know that until apocalypse is stopped, and he may never be stopped, we won't see her. I was looking at the security cameras and I saw the whole thing, every word they said to her." Her voice hitched. It had been hard, she would gladly admit it, and to hear the things she had been told. "And after a while, she began to believe it. Kurt I could tell from the expression on her face that she honestly believed she had killed them."

Kurt looked away. He had known that she felt guilty, but to actually believe the entire thing was her fault, that was something completely different. "Kitty, don't worry, she'll come around. And when we find her-"

"We won't find her Kurt, that's the thing. She's an x-man. Logan trained all of us to stay low. If she doesn't want to be found, she won't be."

"Kitty, I promise, I will do whatever it takes to find her. She's my sister. She's, well she is the only family I have left anymore." Only just noticing the tint of pink in the evening sky outside the windows, he sighed. "Come on, let's go back to our rooms before Jean senses us and makes a big deal out of us staying up all night."

Kitty nodded, and both made their way to their different rooms to face the reminders, one of a half-empty bedroom, the other to a photo on his bedside table.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Staring at the walls of her cell, Rouge felt she was going to go crazy. There had to be some way out of this hell hole. She just hadn't found it yet.

_I can't even tell what time of day it is. _

On the brink of banging her head against the wall, just for something to distract herself from the utter boredom, Rouge felt like the room was getting a little bit smaller every time she checked. Something felt off, like the entire cell had been charged with some sort of energy.

As if on command a small explosion, not enough for the guards to hear, blew a hole in the roof over her bed. Whirling, Rouge tensed, waiting for something, anything to move so she could put all of this pent up anger to good use.

A head popped down through the opening, red on black eyes sparkling and a smirk of pure triumph on a set of impeccable lips. "_Bonjour petite._"

**And there he is! Our rajun Cajun in the flesh! He's so cutie! I told y'all id get him in to the story! Yayy!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Just once, I wish I would get my friends to read my stories. They all say I'm way too old for x-men. My mom says that too and she disapproves of me on fanfiction. You know what I say? Why can't you guys support what I like to do huh? I'm not normal, I hate Justin Beiber the Jonas brothers, and I like black not pink. Please deal with it!**

_No way, this is not seriously happening. _Rouge was staring incredulous at the boy whose head was currently hanging down through the hole in her ceiling.

"You just gonna sit there staring at Remy or are ya coming?" when she continued to stare at him, he sighed and dropped softly to the ground a few feet from her. Reaching out to grab her, a confused expression forming when she stepped back. "Remy, he not gonna hurt ya _Cheri._"

"y-you don't understand. I-I can't…" she broke off when the sound of rusted hinges squealing open down the quarter outside her cell.

"Time for us to go." Without saying another word, he swept Rouge up into his arms, _oh my god what is he-_ and tossed her through the hole. Startled, she landed on the roof,and the boy, agile as a freaking monkey, launched himself up next to her.

The hinges on her cell door squealed, and shouting erupted from her cell.

"What the hell? Where'd it go?" it was the blonde haired officer who arrested her. With him were two others, both wearing something that closely resembled a hazmat suit. _Now is that really necessary?_ Their eyes locked on the hole, _kinda hard to miss _and she paled.

"We best be getting out of here _chere_, lest you wanna stay here for the rest of ya life." His voice had taken on an undertone of agitation, and his eyes were darting repeatedly to the left. Without waiting for her to respond, he grabbed her arm and pulled across the roof.

_Don't touch me, please don't touch me._ His bare hand was less than a half-inch from the exposed skin of her wrist, and in Rouges' mind, way to close for comfort. Pulling her along, they sprinted at full speed across the roof of the prison towards the east.

"Alright _petite_, this is our stop." He smiled as they neared the edge of the building, and without warning, stopped. Rouge, startled by his sudden halt, slowed down a few feet ahead. "Remy gonna need ya to trust him."

"Why in the hell would I…" she cut off as a bullet whizzed past her head. The cops had managed to climb up through the hole and were running towards the duo, pistols trained.

"Jump." The thief yelled, and grabbed her by the shoulder. The man lunged himself off the building taking Rouge with him and she couldn't hold back a small scream. _I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die._ Her mind repeated the words, and she closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to see herself become a grease smear on the pavement below.

A strange whirling noise caught her attention and looking up, her eyes widened. _What the hell?_ The thief had somehow strung a cable from the side of the building, down to the ground at about a 45 degree angle. One of his arms was around her, the other holding onto what looked like a metal rod that was carrying them down.

Her feet hit the ground first and she squirmed away from him. He landed a moment later and touched a button on the rod _was that there before, _and the cable came snapping back, coiling neatly into the rod.

"We gotta go now." The cops had reached the edge now, and were firing down at them. Dogs barked and searchlights began to whirl as alarms blared. They ran towards the fence and Rouges' side screamed at her. _Just a little ways farther. _

The fence was about fifteen yards ahead and Rouges side was screaming at her. There was no way she'd be able to make it much farther.

"Stand back _Cheri_, this could get ugly." He touched the fence and it began to glow. Rouges eyes widened and she stepped back. _He's a mutant too._ The fence glowed brighter and the sizzling increased until the fence exploded with an ear splitting roar.

Her ears were ringing, and the smoke clouded her vision. The man grabbed her hand and they ran into the surrounding forest.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Well _Cheri_ Remy think he did pretty-" the man grunted as Rouges fist plowed into his abdomen.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Rouges yelled, filling the empty storage facility with the echo of teenaged anger. They had run out of the forest and found the closest buildings which just happened to be an empty UHAL facility.

"The names Remy Lebau." He wheezed out. "And I don't want anything."

"You're lying." She reared back again, this time slapping her hand across Remy's face. "Why'd you set me up huh?" she snarled "What did I ever do to you?" she grabbed him by the color of his shirt and slammed him into a wall, holding him so his feet dangled a little ways off the ground.

"Remy sorry about that _Cheri-_"

"Don't call me that."

"Sorry _petite_. Look, Remy was in a bit of trouble, a job went wrong and he needed an out. Thought he'd just pass the goods off to someone else. But then you….what did you do the cop?" Rouge snarled and he continued. "Whatever you did, I knew you were a mutant. Us mutants gotta stick together. So here we are. Now if you could please put Remy down."

She dropped him, but couldn't hold back the anger rushed through her blood. _Who does this guy think he is? If it weren't for him I'd never have been arrested._

"Why should you care what happens to me anyways?" she turned away from him, staring at the steel wall.

"Remy don't know why, but he don't want another mutant taking responsibility for his actions. Humans, yes. Mutants, no way in hell." He came towards her again but she backed away. "Remy not gonna hurt you, you don't need to be afraid." He sounded a little disappointed, like he'd bought a loved one a gift and they hadn't liked it.

"I-I'm not afraid of you. Just don't want you in my head." At his confused look she sighed. She was so used to talking to people who knew about her mutation.

"What you mean _petite?_"

"You saw what I did to that cop?" he nodded "Well that's my power. When I come into contact with someone's skin, I drain all their memories, energy, thoughts, even powers. Knocks them out cold." She shivered. "And a little piece of them stays in my head. I don't fancy having any more guests up in my head."

He studied her for a moment, then walked over and sat next to her.

"Haven't you been listening to anything I just said?" the look she sent him was one of complete bafflement.

"Remy heard you _Cheri_. And you can't control it?"

"Wouldn't be here if I could."

They sat in strained silence for a while then Remy stood and held out a hand to Rouge. "We'd best be leaving girl, the cops gonna track us here soon enough. Gotta hit the road."

"We?"

"Well Remy wouldn't feel right leaving a pretty _femmie_ like you out here all alone, specially when it's Remy's fault she's in trouble.

Rouge looked at his outstretched hand, and hesitantly took it and let him pull her up.

"So _Cheri_ .."

"I told you to stop calling me that."

"Then what should I call you?"

"I'm Rou-" she cut herself off. _I'm not an x-man anymore. And a girl going by Rouge is hard to forget. _"My name is Marie."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_The branches scraped her face as she barreled through the woods, running from what she didn't know. _

"_Scott? Scott are you here?" The mansion grounds were deserted and the wind howled from the sky like angry wolves. The sky was dark and the clouds bunched themselves together in maddening packs of thunder. Red hair flowing out behind her, Jean sprinted towards the institute grounds, like her life depended on whether or not she was able to reach it in time. "Is anyone here? Please let me in" she screamed, banging on the door._

_All of a sudden, all the sounds cut off and the sky darkened even more. Whirling around, Jean let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding when she saw the professor and storm emerged from the forest. _

"_Professor, storm thank god you're here. We thought you were dead." She ran to them and hugged them vigorously. _

_They each just stared at her, and an uneasy feeling settled over her. "What's wrong?" when they just didn't acknowledge her she backed away. The wind picked up again and the howling resumed worse than before._

_Then the professor and storm touched hands and their bodies began to mold together. Storms hair molded into the professor's scalp. Jean could only watch in horror as their bodies fully converted into the form of another x-man. Rouge stood, staring back at her with cold green eyes. _

_Her face contorted in pain and she fell to the ground. On impulse, Jean rushed forwards to help her, but as she reached for her comrade, Rouges' arms became bare and the white skin gleamed back like polished marble. _

"_We can't have you touching me now can we Jeanie. Wouldn't want to hurt me would you." _

"_Rouge you know we care about you…" she tried to reach for her again, but she vanished. _

_Jean felt a stab of pain lance through her chest and screamed. It felt like her brain was going to explode. So many different voices in her head. All she wanted was to get them out, to escape the pain._

"_Jean….." the earth began to shake and the world began to lighten._

"Jean wake up, it's alright." Scott's arms were around her and her head in the crook of his neck. She hadn't realized she was trembling until he wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. "You're safe now, it was just a nightmare. I'm here"

"God don't leave me." Her voice shook, but she couldn't find the energy to stop it. _God what did I do?\_


	7. Chapter 7

**Well I'm on a trip to Indiana because my older cousin got himself into some trouble with the law. His sentencing was this weekend. It was pretty bad so I'm writing (or typing technically) because it calms me down. My cousin (Not the dumbass) said I should see a therapist because I tend to think of myself as the characters I write about. Is that weird? I don't really think it is. It's not like I'm going around having people call me Rouge. I just play out the stories in my head, different angles and the what-if's of the plot. I'm not crazy I promise!**

The cold didn't bother Jean anymore. The chill provided by the glass covering the window had ceased to have an affect long ago. It didn't even matter that the mansion was warm. All Jean could think about was her dream the night before.

When Scott had woken her, she'd felt like a complete mess. He'd tried to calm her, but she hadn't wanted any comfort. When he had finally left, Jean had walked out to her balcony and stayed there for the rest of the night.

Now, she was in the professors' office, her head leaning against the window in a vain attempt to calm the throbbing in her brain. The room was dark, and the smell of him still lingered. He'd had his own special scent, a mixture of pine and citrus that all the students had found comforting.

When she had found Rouge on Ceribro, she had been thrust into her mind. The cornucopia of voices in one confined space, the roar of them, was disturbing enough. But that wasn't what bothered Jean. No, what bothered her was that she had felt the distress the physics were imposing on Rouges mental state.

The fear in her mind grew with every passing hour, fear of the growing possibility that she could lose control again. Without the professor there, Rouge could very well destroy an entire city, if not more. Rouge would surely die, perhaps taking thousands of people with her if they didn't step in. mutants would be declared fair game, hunted to extinction in less than a year if the public was angry enough.

_I should have told everyone where she was when I had the chance, now it's too late. _She buried her head in her hands. Tears began to leak out of her eyes and slide down her cheek to pool into a puddle on her sleeve.

"Jean, are you alright?" she quickly wiped her eyes and looked up. Kurt, hesitating at the door, smiled slightly.

"I'm alright. I just needed to get away for a little while. What do you need?" He blushed, a purple shadow creeping across his cheeks and Jean couldn't help but chuckle. She always thought it was funny to see the blue boy blush.

"I-I know you're worried about the professor and Storm, but do you think..." he hesitated and swallowed, as if trying to muster courage. "Do you think you could check Ceribro again? If you don't find Rouge, we won't ask you again, but please," his eyes began to fill "Will you check one more time?"

Jean studied Kurt for a moment. His head was bowed, as if for fear of her taking it off with a knife or something. He looked utterly deflated, all hints of the prankster he was erased. In its place was a loneliness that looked foreign on his face.

_Maybe i can fix this, and I can save her._ She stood and walked over, taking Kurt's hand in her own. This was her chance to make things right, to maybe undo the things she had done and save Rouge. Apocalypse wouldn't be found, or reveal his plans until he was ready. His technology was too far advanced for even Ceribro. "Of course I'll help Kurt."

Every moment, every tear shed, was worth it when Kurt's face lit up at her. And in a cloud of brimstone they disappeared down to Ceribro.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"So where are we going Remy?" Rouge hollered over the roaring wind of the freeway. It felt great to be back on the road, the wind blowing her hair into clumps and chilling her face with the slight sting of flowing air. She was still a bit soar, but ignoring the pain became easy when you had other things to focus on. Like where a certain red-eyed thief was taking you.

"We be headed up north _Marie Cheri," _Marie rolled her eyes, but chose not to slap him at the use of the new nickname he had come up with, mostly because they were in traffic and she didn't feel like it. "That be the safest place for us. The cops ain't likely look for us far outside of the big easy. Too much ground to cover."

"North? How far north?" her voice rose a few octaves, causing Remy to raise an eyebrow. "Shut up Remy. How far?"

Remy studied her for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know _petite_, how far you want to go?" they simultaneously veered to the left, avoiding an eighteen-wheeler. "We could go to Pittsburgh, Kansas City, New York-"

"No." she yelled, somehow even louder than before. "Not New York. Not New York." She just couldn't handle that, being that close to them was not an option.

"Whatever you want Marie." She heard the confusion in his voice, but didn't really feel like explaining. _I doubt I ever will be._ The next few hours were spent siding in silence.

_*Well Rouge look at you, ya finally managed to find someone who isn't completely terrified of you.* _

_*Shut up creed, or I'll run my claws through that bit thing that holds what you call a brain.*_ and with that, Logan's and Sabertooth's psyches were at it again, gradually pulling the others into the argument. Trying to block them out, Rouge squeezed her eyes shut. _Please just shut up all of you._

"Marie." Remy's voice carried through the air to her and she looked over at him. "We gonna be taking the next exit, headed into Dallas." She nodded and turned her attention back to ignoring the psyches as they exited the highway.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

There was something off with Marie, Remy could feel it. His empathy kept picking up flickers of emotion coming from her. That on its own would normally not worry him. But Marie wasn't normal that was obvious. Nothing about her would ever be considered normal.

The white stripes in her hair, a slice of moonlight in the forest of mahogany, blew back into her eyes and blocked her eyes. Her eyes, those stunningly green emerald pools had taken his breath away the moment he saw them.

_The job had been going smoothly enough, and the only thing left to do was get out without being noticed. But one thing Gambit could never count on was women. _

"_Remy? Is that you?" oh shit, not this one. "Why didn't you call me? I waited for you to call me." The woman was stunning in an exotic way. Blonde hair flowed down past golden tanned shoulders. Her voice although, was annoyingly shrill and high pitched, an immediate turn off. But it had been a slow night and Remy had been desperate. _

"_That's him boys, move in." the hushed voice of the security guard wasn't quite enough to escape the notice of a master thief and Remy did what he had been trained to do by his father. He got out as fast as possible. The guild would never let him live it down if he got arrested. _

_The guards sprinted out after him and Remy spotted a young girl walking down the street. Without a second thought, he stopped and took her hand in his. She looked at him, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. She was beautiful for a human. Slipping the goods into her hands, he looked into her eyes and smiled his signature charmer grin. A wink sealed the deal and he took off again. _

_A sharp jump and he was on the roof of the building across from the mark. The girl had shaken herself out of his little trick rather quickly and was looking around frantically. Then she went down, security guards surrounding her and was in the process of being read her rights. _

_Just another human, no big deal. Humans deserve what they get, even when they didn't actually do anything. She may have been beautiful and he wouldn't have minded asking her for a drink, but humans were mostly the same. The thieves' guild being the acceptation of course, they were always the acceptation unless they say otherwise._

_Turning his attention back to the scene in front of him, Remy's eyes widened. The darker cop was on the floor passed out, and the girl on the ground. What had just happened? A crowd began to form around her and the cop didn't move for a long time. But he only heard one word._

"_Mutant…"_

Of course he felt bad, and rescued her in the end. He hadn't even thought twice about it.

Exiting, Remy kept one eye in her. The emotions he was picking up from her didn't make any sense. People don't feel that many emotions at the same time, and was not only projecting enough feelings for her, but the emotions of ten different people.

She pulled over at a gas station and shook her hair out of her helmet. "I don't think I can ride much farther. Why don't we stop for a while, get some rest?"

He nodded and when the pump signaled that his tank was full, they took off again. Marie started to pull over at a red roof inn, but Remy motioned to keep going.

"What's wrong with that place?" she hollered

_What's not wrong with that place?_ He thought sarcastically but chose not to say anything. Finally a few miles down the road, he spotted a Hilton and pulled into that parking lot. After a short argument, Remy convinced Marie that the Hilton was obviously the best choice. Though she grumbled about it, he could tell she didn't mind nearly as much as she pretended, and he went inside to check in.

"Hello, welcome to the Hilton my name is clayton." The man operating the front desk sounded like there was nothing he would want to do less then be where he was at that moment. His bubble gum snapped annoyingly and Remy had to concentrate on not glaring at him. "May I help you sir?"

_You could try a little bit harder at your job for starters. _"I need a room, two beds." Clayton tapped some keys on the desktop next to him.

"And how would you like to pay for that sir?" Remy flashed a small wad of cash and he nodded. Handing him the keys, he turned and went into the back room.

"Well he seemed charming." Marie was leaning against the doorway smirking. "I get the bed by the window."

"Whatever you want _Cheri." _ He picked up the bags and studied her for a moment. The emotions he was reading from her seemed normal at the moment, and she looked fine. But there was a snaking suspicion in the back of his mind that something was not right.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The room was nice, simple but elegant. Plopping down on the bed she had claimed, she sighed and rubbed her temples. The psyches were getting out of control. Rouge had to force herself to ignore them and it so wasn't easy.

_*no way, like there's no way Chinese food is better than Mexican.* _

_*Kitty you are blind. Mexican food is the best there is. Chinese food makes you hungry half-an-hour after you finish eating.*_

_*Bobby, Kitty, you are both wrong. Gut busters are the way to go.* _

The normal chaos in sued with Kurt's comment and Rouge groaned. _No, it's Marie now. _She reminded herself. Rouge was back in the prison in New Orleans.

The bathroom door opened and Remy stepped out. Marie's eyes bulged and the psyches in her head cut off at the sight of him in nothing but a towel, wrapped loosely around his waist.

Remy smirked at her and she blushed furiously.

"Ce que tu vois ma Cheri?"

"You wish." She rolled over and stared intently out the window, determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her flustered.

Remy chuckled and dug through his bag, withdrawing a pair of sweat pants and a loose t-shirt. The bathroom door clicked shut and Marie sighed.

_*Damn girl, that was one hot piece of man* _

_*tabby is all you think about what a man would be rated on a scale of one to ten?*_

_*yes lance, it is.*_

_Would y'all shut it for a little while please? _The roar of voices in her head rose and she screamed into a pillow, unable to keep it in.

"Marie? Marie what's wrong? Listen to me _fille_. Remy's here." His hands found her shoulders and she jerked away.

"Please just don't. d-don't touch me…" she felt her voice waver and shame crept into her cheeks. Nobody was supposed to see her like this. Not ever.

The voices rose again and she yelled, the darkness enclosing her in a safe net of unconsciousness.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"You did what you could Jean, you know as well as I do that if Rouge doesn't use her powers while you're on Ceribro you won't find her."

"Yah but Scott she's in trouble, I know it."

"You don't know that for sure." He smiled reassuringly and Jean looked away. _But I do know for sure. He has no idea. _

"I'm just going to try again in the morning."

"That's not necessary." She started to protest but he kissed her softly "But I know I won't be able to stop you. Goodnight Jean." He walked into his room and she continued down the hall quietly as not to wake up the other students.

_Scott, if only you knew. _She needed to tell someone about Rouge. The guilt weighed on her like a cement collar on her neck making it hard to breath.

A few hours later found her in the professor's study again, her head against the window. Sleep would never come, at least not peacefully until she found either the professor and storm, or Rouge. In all likelihood she wouldn't sleep well until they both were found.

_Professor, we need you here. We all miss you. _No tears fell anymore. Enough crying had been done on her part already.

Jean looked up, sensing a rapidly approaching presence emitting great amounts of panic. Sam burst through the door.

"Turn on the TV now." He was out of breath and Jean studied him for a moment. Reaching for the remote, she flicked on the set and her eyes widened.

"This is Dianne Sawyer with breaking news. Our camera men at the mysterious domes, placed all over the world by an as yet unknown source. Our men caught some surprising footage early this morning. Let's roll the tape."

The screen filled with a blurry image. Apocalypse floated in the air outside of the sphinx. His hand gestured towards an opening in the ancient structure.

"My horsemen, you are needed." Four figures emerged from inside the doorway and Jean dropped the remote as the professor and storm emerged alongside magneto and mystique.

"Their alive…"

**Chapters are still a little short, but I'm working on it. I have something really bit planned and the filler chapters are hardest to write because those I don't exactly have a plan for. I have ideas, but not a plan. The story is about to get a little bit more exciting and I will have a new POV to write in. I need to ask y'all something and please tell me! Please! How many pages in Microsoft does it take to make a decent chapter? Seriously! And I'm gonna start responding to reviews next chapter because I now have a way to print them out! yayyyyyy **


	8. Chapter 8

**Alrighty so I'm really excited for this weekend! I'm a huge country music fan and I'm going to so see George Strait, Reba McEntire, and Leanne Wolmack in concert! AHHHHHHH! It's in Lubbock Texas! Yah that's right. I'm so excited. And I don't know if you guys have noticed this but…..okay this is embarrassing but my auto correct has been changing Rogue's name to Rouge. Huh. Well you all knew who I meant and if you didn't then you need to go sit in a corner and hit your head against the wall. How do you say rose in French? Like the rose flower. Every time I put it in Google translate, it says pink, or is that the same word? Like Two and too? Oh and just so there is no confusion, gambit was never a part of Magnetos little gangs. Just clarifying. Oh and so I don't get in trouble, some of these quotes I heard on TV and thought they would go perfectly in here. i had to repost this because some stupid screw up put this as chapter 3. and they were the same. grrrr**

"We're going to need four teams, one at each dome and one at the sphinx. Just us alone, it's not going to be enough power to bring down one of the horsemen, much less Apocalypse. Kitty, go pay a visit to your old friend lance. Kurt, were going to need Evan, the other Morlocks' if you can manage to convince them to help out. Jean, anyone else you can think of?"

"We could see if Angel would be willing, and the Acolytes too. Um…..and Alex maybe." She looked at Scott, a little worried at what her suggestion may do to him, but he just nodded.

"Alright teams, this is going to be the fight of our lives, so you better be ready for it. The professor and storm may be our friends, but at the moment, they are the enemy. We need to take down those domes at all costs, failure is not an option. Now go, you three," he looked at Kitty, Kurt and Jean "Go check up on your people. Report back to me either way, if they deny or agree I'm going to need to know. We leave as soon as you get back. We're taking the four helicopters; they're easier to maneuver around attacks. We'll split up into teams when you get back. Go!"

Kurt ported out and Kitty phased through the floor, while Jean flew down the stairway towards the nearest exit. The rest of the team left almost immediately, leaving the only two staff members left quietly.

"Christ Hank, this is a god damn mess." Logan flopped down into a chair and ran his fingers through his hair. "We're screwed."

"And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his Gods?"

"Who-"

"Thomas B. Macaulay. He was a British poet in the 1800's"

"Yah well that all fine and good and all, but I'm pretty sure we're fucked." Hank winced at Logan's language, but the older man just shrugged it off. "It's not fair Hank, these kids are way too young to be asked to save the world. They should be out doing…..whatever it is kids do."

"I agree, but then again, they are mutants Logan. They were trained by some of the very best there is for this kind of thing. If they don't want to help, they know that they won't be judged."

"Still don't like having to even ask them to go on something like this. Its suicide and they all know it. And there's a good chance it'll all be for nothing. I don't want them dying on some lost cause martyr mission."

"The only kinds of fights worth fighting are those you are going to lose, because somebody has to fight them and lose and lose and lose until someday, somebody who believes as you do wins. I. F. Stone." Hank smiled reassuringly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Someone is going to have to do it. If we don't, it will forever be said that it was done without opposition."

"Yah, it just sucks that it has got to be those kids."

"On that, we are in complete agreement."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Kitty would have a heart attack ._was all that Marie could think as Remy pulled her into the largest mall in Dallas, the Galleria. At 1,700,000 square feet and four stories the galleria dominated the shopping district of the city. Over two hundred stores crowded along the hall-ways and vendors stands attracted consumers to any number of assorted shiny objects. _I would never hear the end of this if the others ever caught me here. _

"This is gonna be fun_ Cheri_, we both get to go get a few new cloths, then just hang out here for a while, maybe go skate on that little ice rink down there." He motioned to the lower level as people glided across the frozen water with ease.

"You're almost as bad as Kitty. I swear you like shopping nearly as much as she does." Remy chuckled and shook his head.

"Shopping ain't what Remy likes girl." Marie rolled her eyes and smiled slightly. The hot topic was just around the corner and she bee-lined towards it. As soon as she stepped through the threshold, the familiar sounds of rock music wafted to her ears, accompanied by the distinctive smell of Axe cologne. Why men wore that she had no clue. It was alright in small quantities, but rarely did you find a guy who didn't use it liberally.

"Hello, my name is Lilly and welcome to hot topic. We're currently offering a promotion, if you buy one piece of jewelry; you get the second one half-off. If you need any help just let me know."

"I will thanks." Lilly sighed and walked over to an older woman trying to figure out how a corset worked. "Let he help you mam- it just goes like-"

Rogue looked through their graphic tee's section, picking out a few that she liked, all in her signature black of course. A new brand caught her eye and she smiled, whisking a few off the rack. _Sick princess huh? Maybe I'll try it. _Walking back towards the changing room, she grabbed a pair of thin black gloves and smiled. They would reach up to her elbows and combined with the t-shirts, cover enough skin while not suffocating her in the Dallas heat.

The first few shirts fit well enough, though she decided she would need to get them a size bigger in case they shrunk in the wash. The last two though, an angry birds t-shirt and a 'zombies are people too' shirt fit like a dream. Just loose enough that she was comfortable, but in the wash they wouldn't suffocate her.

"Marie, you almost done?" Remy sounded amused and knocked on the door. "Because I found something you may want to try on." He chuckled and tossed in something red and lacy. "Hope you'll let me see." She could almost hear him smirking.

"Remy," she said sweetly "Do you want me to put my foot up your' ass or do you want to put it there for me?" she picked up the bra he had tossed and flicked it over the door. Remy grunted and Rogue smirked. "Oh sorry did that hit you?"

"Very funny _Cheri,_ very funny. Aren't you going to ask if I'm alright?" his chuckle was kind of adorable, if you paid attention.

"Fine, are you alright?" tugging on her own shirt, she folded the clothing she was going to buy, putting the ones she wasn't back on the hanger.

"I'm great, superb, amazing, smashing."

"We're not in a musical, a simple 'I'm fine' would have sufficed." She walked out, smirked at Remy and walked to the cashier. "Just these please."

"No problem." She scanned the items and handed her the bag. "Have a good day."

"You too." She left the store; Remy slung an arm over her shoulder. Marie stiffened and shrugged his arm off of her. "Little bit too close for comfort there."

"_Désolé_" Remy apologized.

They shopped for a few hours more, Remy buying a few things from various stores, most of which Marie didn't care to remember the names of. She got a few more things; a few CD's, a new iPod, some long sleeved shirts. The bags didn't weigh much, but they were just enough to make her arms feel burdened.

"Well Marie, what do you say we head back to the hotel and rest up a bit _oui?_"

"That sounds good. It really does." Marie smiles, biting into her Auntie Annie cinnamon sugar pretzel. "These things are really good, you have got to-" she fell, her pretzel flying across the hall and skidding off the third story to the ice rink below. Her bags stopped at the guard rail.

Whirling around she found a short, fat man staring at her. He was probably in his late thirties, with stubby brown hair sticking out of his chin. His head was shaved and his eyes gleamed with fury. His friends were laughing around him. Standing slowly, her anger working its way onto her face, though she tried to push it back, she took slow deliberate breaths.

"What the hell, may I ask is you're problem?" Remy just shook his head, trying but not entirely succeeding in keeping the amusement off of his face.

"I seen you before bitch. You're one of those mutie abominations from the sentinel video a few months back. Things like you oughta be locked up into camps. That way you can't hurt us normal humans." The man sneered, and his friends stepped up next to him. Remy gathered her bags, and stood beside her, his face decidedly less amused. He didn't take kindly to mutant trashing any more then Marie did. "What, is your' little boyfriend one of those abominations too? Maybe we should take care of the both of you, save the world a little bit at a time."

"You're gonna want to stop talking before I hurt you." The deathly calm in her voice could have cut diamond. The crowd gathering flinched, every face paling a few shades and they took a step back. "You…..are going to want to back away…right now or so help me god I will give you so much pain you won't know what hit you until you're lying flat on your' back in the hospital bed with tubes going into your arms and a heart monitor strapped to your chest by those little suction cup things they use to keep everything in place. That is if you wake up at all because my powers might suck you dry of every last drop of energy if your frail little body because that's what I do.

" You think mutants are bad? Try being one, and waking up every day knowing that you won't ever be able to touch another living being without pulling everything about them into your mind and hurting them. So if you don't back away right now I will gladly drain you." Her voice shook with suppressed anger and by the time she finished she had gathered her bags in her arms, preparing herself to leave. "Good day to you sir."

The man though, was not as scared as he should have been, whether it was from confidence in numbers or good old fashioned stupidity, though it was most likely both. He looked at his friends, and motioned them all forwards to stand next to him. They did so and Marie snarled. The men stiffened and quickly pulled out various injury inducing instruments. Knives glinted in the fluorescent lights; pistols gleamed with a polished beauty.

Remy wordlessly reached into his bag, pulling out a rod that Marie recognized from the escape and extended it into a four foot long pole. A pack of cards appeared from his pocket. His eyes glinted as he removed his sun shades. "You gonna wanna stop this before someone gets hurt."

"Were going to kill you, and were going to do it right."

"There's no right way to kill a mutant."

"Then I think it's time we make one." Like they were one single being, they lunged forwards. Remy swung his bo-staff and took down two men at a time, sending them toppling down. Marie felt a hand grab her shoulder and she latched onto it, shifting her weight and bringing the man over her shoulder onto the floor. Not bothering to check if he was alright, she turned and kicked her left leg at two more attackers. Her foot connected with a jaw, snapping the head back into the other assailant sending them both sprawling.

Grabbing one of her bags, she swung around, gaining enough momentum to topple the man staggering at her from the left. He grunted and rubbed his head, his breath wheezing out.

"Damn what is in that god damn thing?"

"Payback." She reared back again, sending her foot into his chest and knocking him out. As she ducked out of the way of a knife being hurled at her, she caught a glimpse of something that made her heart stop.

Remy had been backed into a corner, his staff sprawled a few feet from Marie. The cards in his hand glowed fuchsia, but he couldn't do much with them for risk of blowing himself up as well as the men ahead of him. Without thinking, Marie sprinted forwards and grabbed his staff, using it as a spring board and launched herself at them. Remy ducked out of the way, but the humans didn't have the same reflexes as hum and got kicked in the face, arms, back and chest.

She smirked, and looked at the Bo-staff with a sort of affection. "This thing is so going on my Christmas list." She stated smugly. Only a few men were left, and though they would put up a fight, it wouldn't take long to subdue them.

"Marie look-"Remy yelled at her, and she whirled in time to block the brass knuckles speeding towards her spine. She grabbed the mans' wrist, the same one who had started this whole mess, and hauled him into a concrete pillar.

The last man fell to the ground moments later, his scalp sporting a slight cut above the temple from where Remy knocked him into the guard rail.

"We need to get out of here _Cher_." He grabbed her wrist with one hand, the bags in the other and ran through the crowd, dodging people and carts. They made it to the exit, and burst through the back doors to the mall, leading to an alleyway line with garbage cans.

"Oh man, that was bad." Marie was panting heavily, and sweat glistened against her brow.

"_Ça c'est sûr__" _he relied, a bit less tired but tired none the less. "How in the hell did they know you were a mutant?" he didn't sound angry, but concerned.

"i-"she froze, and her hand went instinctually to Remy's mouth and she dragged him around the corner as the door they had just burst through crept open slowly. The physics in her head had been strangely quiet during the duration of the day, which Marie was grateful for but also a little bit worried at the same time. Now they began to talk quietly, and it was all Marie could do to concentrate on the door.

"_What is going on, is it another hater?"_

"_Bobby nobody says hater anymore. It's so not cool."_

"_Children please, Rogue needs to concentrate."_

"_No offence professor, but you're not exactly helping."_

"_Yes you're right. I'm sorry."_

The door shut and Marie studied the short woman who had stepped out. Her hair was blonde, cut into a short bob to accent her pixie like features. Tanned skin set off a pair of the bluest eyes on this side of the river. Next to Kitty, she had never seen such beautiful eyes.

"H-hello, look I saw you come this way. I don't want to hurt you." She sounded confident enough, like she knew that she would get what she wanted. "I will be able to find you if I need to, but I don't want to have to do that so please just come out." She waited, and then sighed.

Remy tensed and his hand went to his coat pocket, his cards safely tucked inside. Marie closed her eyes, wishing she could just disappear for a while and get away from this crazy mess she always found herself in.

The girl smiled and walked over to their hiding spot, without any hesitation at all. Stooping down, she smiled at the pair and offered a hand. "Don't worry; I am the last person you need to worry about telling people where you are."

Remy stood, and Marie sighed, following his lead.

"_Who is this girl? I don't trust her."_

"_Well Scott, I'm sure she's gonna tell us sooner or later. One way or another we'll find out."_

"Is Scott always so paranoid? Or is that just with new people?" the girl asked sweetly, raising an eyebrow in her direction. Marie's eyes widened and her face paled.

"H-how did you-?"

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Evelyn McNairy, and I'm a telepath. I know who you are," she eyed Marie "And I think I can help you and you can help me."

Remy studied her for a moment, then sighed. "Follow us." then started towards the bikes, his bags in one arm. Evelyn smirked and winked at Marie, picking up the rest of the bags and pulling her along behind Remy.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Logan watched the three aircraft take off from the institute sadly. Only he and Scott remained, waiting for Forge to finish whatever he was doing to get their copter off the ground in time. Since they would be facing Apocalypse himself, forge had insisted on adding a few modifications to the craft before taking off.

"You two will have the best machine in the entire world, just a few more minutes. Boy, I wish I could go with you but let's face it; I'm really not a fighter. I'd only be a distraction. His hand shifted back to normal and he stood. "That should do it."

"Thanks Forge, we appreciate it." Scott shook the boys hand warmly.

"Go kick his ass for me."

"Will do."

Logan nodded to the young mutant and he and Scott boarded the helicopter and took off into the sky. Only he and Scott were going to be facing off against Apocalypse. No matter how much anyone had protested, they couldn't sway either him or Scott from their decision. If things didn't go well, the others needed to get away as fast as they could.

"We're gonna be there in a few hours." Scott was in the pilot's seat, checking the gages with a bunch of names Logan didn't even think he could pronounce correctly. "I hope the others are going to be alright."

"I'm sure they will. Jean has got Amara, Jamie and Kurt to help her out. Not to mention Piotr and Tabitha are there too." Scott nodded. "And with the brother hood in México with Kitty, Roberto, Alex and Warren she should be fine. Beast has Ray, Sam, Bobby and Evan. I'm sure they'll all be fine." He was lying through his teeth, and Scott knew it but didn't have the courage to call him on it.

"I hope you're right. We're in for a really big fight."

"Get some rest kid. You're gonna need it." He reached over and pressed the auto pilot button. Scott climbed out of the seat and into the cots near the rear. Within moments of lying down, he was out and Logan smiled.

_Kids too young to die._

French Translations:

Ça c'est sûr : That's for sure

Désolé : Sorry

**Review Responses: first of all thank you everyone who did review. It means a lot to me so I thought it was time to put out some of what you've been giving me. love it when people review but I've only been getting a few lately and mostly from the same people. Love y'all who do it makes me all happy inside. (Or as my BFF says 'You make me wanna pee a little' her worlds not mine.) Tell your friends to review! And if you're not reviewing, please do.**

**Next chapter: new friends and enemies. The past can't be hidden forever. Especially when it is Rogue and Remy. (Or Marie and Remy.) I am only responding to the latest ones, so if you want me to respond, you've gotta review! ;) **

**Rogueslove22: I was watching a TV show with my parents; or rather they were watching I was typing. And I thought it may be interesting to put something like that in. lol that is what private practice does to you I guess. Thank you for the advice. Lately I've been running about six pages, and 2,500+. They all still feel short though. Maybe it's because I'm reading stories with long chapters. perhaps I am Biased. You work at a place that lets you on the computer! Where is that maybe I need to get a job there? Lol. That would be so beast!**

**Tfobmv18: I'm so glad you liked it. :D quite a lot will change in the story very soon. I'm having a lot of fun writing this so it's going to be about every week or so that a new chapter gets posted. I'm aiming for over 50 chapters. I'd like to get to 100 but I don't want it to be one of those soap opera ones that all that might happen does. Those get old after a while. Anyways thank you! **

**rougelover321: I love to talk to myself! It helps me organize my thoughts and come up with new ideas. Unfortunately other people don't see it that way. Lol, the fact that it scares tons of people is just an added bonus. **

**DemonFlame: glad you like it. Felt kinda bad leaving it like that but it was the only place I could find to stop. I say rogue all the time, but I wanted to make it seem like she was turning over a new leaf. That and I know a girl named Anna Marie and she's an evil person. So I shortened it, lol.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't like people. Okay that's not true, I like people. I just don't like people at my school. We were going to do a lab in IPC but people wouldn't stop talking and we didn't get to do it. We were lighting our hands on fire with soap bubbles filled with propane. **

"Nice room, I like it." Evelyn plopped down onto the bed next to the wall. "Not to done up but simple, understated."

"Glad you like it." Remy responded dryly. "But that would be my bed."

Evelyn chuckled and stood up, moving across the room to sit in the chair next to the desk. Marie looked at her suspiciously, inching away instinctively.

"So where do I start?" she picked up a bottle of A&W root beer from the table top ice chest and cracked the seal, taking a long sip.

"How about how you know me? What do you want?" Rogue was sick of people knowing who she was, especially when half the time she didn't even know herself.

"I'm a telepath, I know way more about the both of you then you think. I know you're running away from a family who betrayed you; I know you're scared of getting to close to people because you don't want to hurt them. I know that if you could, you would wear dark green every day. I know you like to watch the rain run down the windows, you hate it when people hurt one another, and you have a tendency to feel guilt about things that aren't your fault. Your pain tolerance is extremely high and you can sit for hours having conversations with the people in your head. You loved twilight until everyone else started loving it, and your best friend is the complete opposite of you." She met Marie's eyes, which were wide and staring. "I know more than you think Rogue." The use of her old name made her heart quicken

"H-how-"

"And as for your other question, I need help. I think you may be able to do just that." She turned to Remy, who was glaring at her in distrust. "I'd watch what you think about Gambit. I know more about you then you would believe. You may have mental shields, but I can still read you, if I try. Or if you think loud enough." Remy snorted but Evelyn ignored him. "You like to play cards, but you much prefer to use them as weapons. You have a tendency to tap your foot when you get anxious or uncomfortable, lick your lips when you're nervous and when you don't understand something, you shift your weight to the left. You were adopted when you were less than a year old by Jean-Luc LeBeau and lived in New Orleans until a few years ago, when you moved out, while still keeping in touch and visiting your family often. Need I go on?"

Remy shook his head, stunned into silence. Nobody had ever known him that well before, ever.

"So if you know all that stuff, how could you possibly need my help?" Rogue interjected. "So I'll say it again, what do you want?"

"It is simple really. I'm a mutant, obviously. I know what you want to do, and I'd like to help. Prove that mutant isn't a synonym to evil to myself and my family."

"What do you mean what we want to do? Remy didn't know we even had a plan." Remy glanced fleetingly at Marie, who looked away. "Remy feel like he's missing something here."

"Of course you are Remy." Evelyn replied simply

"And what _petite_ would that be exactly? Remy don't like being kept out of the loop."

"Well it's not so much of a plan as a general goal. The actual plan hasn't fallen into place yet you see."

"Well Remy still don't know what that 'goal'" he made air quotes around the word goal. "Is at the moment. So either someone here enlightens Remy, or he's out." He stood, crossing his arms impatiently and Evelyn rolled her eyes.

"Oh sit down gumbo and you'll find out soon enough."

"Gumbo?" he asked incredulously.

"Yah gumbo, that's what I've decided to call you."

"Remy don't think so."

"Remy doesn't have a choice in the matter." Evelyn calmly eyed him; his face beat red with annoyance. "You know you're really fun to mess with." Remy started to open his mouth again but Marie burst out laughing over on her bed, lying flat on her back and chuckling into a pillow.

"I think I like this girl Remy. At the moment I don't care what you want, you can stay, just for that."

"I hate how much you're loving this." Remy groaned

"I love how much you're hating this." Marie retorted, smirking.

"Then it's settled, I stay." Evelyn smiled genuinely.

"Okay but on one condition." Marie looked at her suspiciously.

"What would that be?"

"Please stop reading my mind."

"Sorry, I don't normally do that. But I needed some way to make you trust me enough to let me stay."

Marie nodded and flipped on the TV, scrolling through channels. CBS, NBC, CNN all flicked on and off the screen in less than a second.

"Make your skin-"

"Buy one get one-"

"Act now for-"

"Hahahahah-"

"Mysterious domes-" Marie froze, and all eyes flicked to the screen instantly. "Placed all over the world by an as yet unknown source. Our men caught some surprising footage early this morning. Let's roll the tape."

Evelyn watched Marie's face as the clip rolled on air. "My horsemen, you are needed." As the horsemen emerged from the sphinx, Marie lost all the blood in her face, leaving her an alabaster ghost with haunted, hollowed out eyes locked onto the screen.

"They're alive." Her whisper was only a breath, but in the silent room it felt like a million screaming humans at a rock concert. Remy's' eyes flashed to her and he quickly took the remote from her limp hands.

"Marie, you need to breath." Her took her gloved hand in his, squeezing it slightly. "Just focus on breathing."

"They're alive." She repeated. "I can't believe it." She stood up and began to pace the length of the room. "I-I have got to help them, they need my help!" she rushed over to her bag, unzipping it and shoving all of her possessions within reach into it.

"What are you talking about?" Remy felt so confused.

"I believe she is referring to the horsemen on the news broadcast." Evelyn sighed. "Marie you can't just go running to help them without any help. There's no way you'll win against Apocalypse."

"Apocalypse? What the hell is an apocalypse? What is going on?" Marie reached for her extra set of gloves on the bed side table but he grabbed her hand. "Remy not letting anybody go anywhere until he knows what's going on." Marie tried to free her hand, but he held firm.

"Remy I don't think that's such a good idea." Evelyn placed a hand on his shoulder. "Marie is distressed, it's best not to push her under these conditions."

"What conditions?" Remy almost yelled. "What the hell is going on?" Marie tugged at her hand and managed to loosen his grip. Pulling again, her hand slipped away, while her glove got caught on the button of his duster.

Her eyes widened and she clutched her hand into her chest. Remy didn't notice the absence of the essential garment and reached for her again. "Please just explain-" Marie stepped back, trying to put some distance between her deadly skin and the only person who she fully trusted at the moment.

Her foot caught on the edge of the bed, sending her toppling towards the floor. She could see it coming, and she knew the moment Remy shifted his weight forwards that it would end badly. Reaching forwards to catch her, Remy grabbed her hand. Instantly the pull began and he fell prostrate on the ground, his eyes rolled back into his head.

"Non, non, cela est mauvais. Il est vraiment mauvais. S'il vous plaît pas plus de voix_... _"

"Marie please calm down, it's going to be alright." Her eyes began to glow red and black, she darted to the other side of the room.

"Ne me touche pas ... .. s'il vous plaît ne me touche pas." Her voice shook, tears smearing the already run down paint on her face.

"It's alright Marie, listen to me." She grabbed the gloves and held them out carefully slowly walked towards the young girl. "I'm not going to touch you. I promise. I have your gloves. See?" she showed her the leather. "You're not Remy, you're Marie. Remember? Rogue?" the use of her name seemed to spark her back to herself. She closed her eyes tightly, and when she opened them they had returned to normal. Carefully, she reached out and snatched the gloves, snapping them onto her hands immediately.

"Thanks." Evelyn nodded and Marie stood, carefully walking over to Remy, sitting him up against the foot board of the bed. "I'm going to pack his stuff and then when he wakes up, we're headed to the airport."

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Four tickets for New york please." Marie asked the ticket salesman. Remy and Evelyn stood behind her, with Remy leaning on Evelyn for support.

"What time?" the ticket agent popped her gum and Marie had to resist the urge to tap her foot. Though Remy had woken up about an hour ago, and the physic had stopped controlling her long ago, the lingering affects still remained. The taxi driver was probably still pondering how one person could completely forget the English language in a matter of thirty seconds. One minute she was asking him for the nearest airport, the next Remy had been translating her words for him.

"_i like having this guy in here."_

"_Shut up tabby"_

"_Awe Cheri you wound me"_

"_You too Gumbo."_

"The next possible if you can." Pressing her fingers to her eye to stop the slight twitch beginning to form, she started filling out the baggage tags and snapped one onto Remy's', Evelyn's' and her own carry-on's.

"Alright we have four seats in a row on the 4:30 flight out of E13. Will that work?"

"That is perfect." They made the exchange and the trio walked towards security. Turning to Remy, she eyed one of his many pockets and raised her eyebrow. "You got anything in there that'll set the alarm off?"

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "Please _Chere; _you should know me better than that." He pulled out his motorcycle keys, and set them into a plastic bit, along with his duster and shoes.

"Right." she said dryly. The girls followed his lead and shook themselves out of their overcoats and shoes. Pushing her hands into her pockets, she stepped through the scanner after Evelyn.

"You're good, step aside please." She did as she was asked and gathered her belongings from the creepy plastic bins. Plopping down on a bench a few yards from the checkpoint, she tugged on her shoes and shouldered her bag.

"_Remind me why we're going to New York when the fight is in Egypt please." _

"_Well Kitty, we obviously can't go through customs without a passport and that is at the mansion. Worst comes to worst, we'll grab that and hop another plane and fly there, though I highly doubt that they took the blackbird with them to a fight."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Scott wouldn't want to hurt his precious toy."_

"_Hey I resent that."_

"_Deal with it one-eye."_

"Why did you buy four seats anyways?" Remy asked, as if continuing an earlier conversation. Marie snorted and looked at him sadly.

"Not hard to figure out why swamp rat, a person going into a spontaneous coma 20,000 feet off the ground would probably draw attention to us don't you think?" Of course the inevitable awkward silence that was bound to happen started and Marie wished she had just not responded. "Anyways, it's probably just a onetime thing."

"So what's in new york _Cheri_? Why we headed there?"

"It's a long story Gumbo, I'll explain later." Remy didn't get a chance to respond as they all went to go stand in line at the gate. Making their way to their respective seats, Marie on one side seated against the window with the seat on her other side empty and Evelyn and Remy across the aisle, Marie closed her eyes trying to force herself to sleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Jean didn't know what to do anymore. It seemed as if her entire world had been ripped apart at the seams and thrown into the wind in one of fates more gruesome tantrums. Scott and Logan were going alone to face apocalypse at the sphinx, while she herself was headed out to stop the man she had always thought of as a father from destroying the world by any means necessary. Never had she felt so alone in the world or as sad as she did at that very moment.

"Kurt?" the blue mutant was sitting at the back of the cabin, his very being radiating sadness. His shoulders slumped, his hands resting exhausted in his lap, even his fur drooped down. He looked over at her, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep and stress. She stood and walked back, setting herself down next to him. "You need to rest for a while."

"We're going to die aren't we?"

"We don't know that we could-"

"No, I can see it in your eyes. This is going to be it." He sighed, seeming resigned to the situation. "I-I just wish I'd had the chance to say goodbye. I'm going to die without saying goodbye to her."

Jean didn't need to ask who he was talking about. The remorse that bubbled up inside of her each time she thought of Rogue only added to the morbid feel of the day. She couldn't count the times she had wanted to go back and undo it all, take back everything she had said. But of course fate wasn't listening to her pleas.

"I miss her, so much Jean, and…I never got to say goodbye to her. I know it sounds crazy but, I keep thinking that somehow, if she were here things wouldn't be the way they are. She would know what to do. There are so many things I wanted to tell her." He looked at Jean, and almost smiled. "I guess I sound weird huh?" they sat in silence for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts.

Kurt was opening up to her, Jean realized. Her, the person who made his sister leave in the first place. She sighed and looked over at him. He was watching out the window, the sunlight silhouetting him as it streamed in from the window.

"I won't ever get to apologize to her, and that's something that I'll have to live with for the rest of my life, even if it's not going to be all that much longer. I hurt her more than anyone else ever had. That's something I don't think I'll ever get over."

The others in the jet stayed quiet. This moment was private and that, they felt, should be respected.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Sunlight poured down from the sky, casting shadows over the grassy fields and illuminating the faces of those Marie cherished most. Around her, sprawling in the warm rays of the sun, lounged friends and enemies alike. The surface of the lake glittered in the eye of the beholder. Here it was summer, and there was no need for layers of clothing. Here, for the time being, there was peace.

Marie lay out on a blanket by the shore, allowing the sunlight to seep its way into her skin, warming her from the inside out. In her cut-off shorts and her dark blue spaghetti strap tank top, she looked like a vision from heaven. The hair she usually kept down in her face was pulled back in a high ponytail, leaving the white of her bangs to frame her structured jaw line. The book she read, Tuesdays with Morrie, sat next to her, its pages softly ruffled by the warm breeze off the lake.

"Get offa me you dill ankle bitter!" Pyro yelled to a small army of Jamie Madrox's that were surrounding him. Each little multiple had an evil grin on its face and Marie groaned. Could they ever just try to get along?

"Children please, you are acting like fools." Erik Lehnsheer sighed and looked over at Marie with a small gleam in his eyes that told her he was more amused than annoyed at the antics of his most deranged follower and the young x-man. The man chuckled as the army of Jamie's hoisted St. John onto their many shoulders and carried him towards the lake.

"Ah come on Jamie put him down, we all know that he'll just get pissed and-" she sighed as the small crowd cheered, reducing back into one boy and taking off up the hill before pyro could pull himself out of the water and cause him harm.

"Sometimes I wonder if they will ever grow up." magneto sighed, shaking his head as the orange haired mutant pulled himself out of the water and spouted off an impressive stream of cuss words at the rapidly retreating boy.

"I don't know this is better than normal at least."

"I suppose so, though I seriously doubt it will last for long." Erik responded gravely.

"Why do they feel the need to argue with each other? They know it's painful to me yet they don't seem to care much. Victor flat out does it just to cause me pain, why I absorbed him I will never understand." He smiled at that.

"You should feel glad that most of us don't want to hurt you Marie. Myself and Charles have been able to calm them some, but it has gotten harder since apocalypse was released. The other psychics are beginning to get restless."

"I know, I'm worried Erik. Remy doesn't know everything and I think he is getting suspicious."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I told him about my powers, but I highly doubt that he understands."

"Why don't you ask him? You could simply go over and talk to him." He gestured across the beach, where Remy sat in a beach chair talking to Kitty, Piotr and Warren. He laughed, obviously finding whatever the angel had just said to be amusing, and turned to retrieve something out of the cooler behind him.

"Maybe sometime I will. The professor said I need to try to talk to the new psychics, minimize the damage before it is done."

"Charles is right; we were talking about that a little while ago actually. Perhaps you should give it a try."

"Yah I know." She sighed and stood, stretching out her normally deadly skin. "I wonder if it's possible to get sunburned in your own mind. What do you think?" Erik smiled and shook his head as she pulled him up.

"I suppose anything is possible here. You can touch here, so perhaps you can." He looked at her hand, still around his wrist and smiles. "Go on my dear, the plane will be landing soon, and your new friends will be worried if you don't wake up soon."

"You're right I guess, thanks Erik. I really enjoy talking to you."

"It's my pleasure dear, just remember that this world is different than the one you live in. the people here are different outside."

"Of course. Goodbye." She kissed his cheek, like that of a grandchild kissing their aging grandparent and slowly let her body shimmer away into nothingness.

**Yayyy I finally finished this chapter! Score belle! Yah! Haha I'm in a great mood, so bear with me. My friend asked me the other day "Jade why do you hate Jean? She doesn't seem like a bad person." I don't hate Jean, I actually like her a decent amount. Kinda. She intrigues me is what it is. I like Rogue more obviously but still. I don't really hate any of the characters in x-men. Except maybe sabertooth, and apocalypse. Maybe a few others like the mutant hating scumbags but I don't hate any of the team members. I actually like magneto a lot. He seems like people just misunderstand him, he has good intentions. And am I the only one who noticed that in the show, Remy didn't talk in third person? Hmmmmm. Anyways I'm off my soap-box so onto the review replies!**

**Rogueslove22: thank you I thought I'd try to be funny. Guess it worked I try to do fight scenes often because their fun to write. Thanks for the props. Sorry you lost your job. That bites. **

**roguelover321: thank you glad you liked it**

_**Next chapter: someone get answers and someone get more questions than before. **_


	10. Chapter 10

**This is me, my name is belle, and I have officially got a hater! Yay I feel like crap now! Why do men always misunderstand things, and then blame the best friend for their crazy delusions? Hmm well getting cussed out by text message is defiantly not the best way to start a week but hey, I have a chapter to write. Ready set, GO!**

"Well you're being oddly cryptic as you pull Remy through the New York airport by the sleeve of Remy's coat. May he ask why?"

"Remy we have got to break you of that stupid habit of yours. Why in the hell do you feel the need to narrate your life?" Evelyn hoisted her bag onto her shoulders and sauntered past the security checkpoint. Winking at the two Hispanic guards that looked over at her admiringly, she pulled out a pack of gum and gently unwrapped the paper cover. "It's kinda annoying."

"Guys please just trust me. If you need to know something, I'll tell you. If you don't than don't worry about it." Remy sighed and fought the urge to simply walk away. Being out of the loop didn't suite him at all. Being that one person who didn't know what was going on bites. In fact, the only thing keeping him from walking out was the emotions he kept reading from Marie. She was tired, nervous, terrified, anxious, and just a little hopeful at the same time.

"Bayville high school please." She sounded stressed. As the cab pulled away from the curb, Marie leaned her head back against the head rest of the seat. Her eyes closed and she took a few deep, calming breaths. Slowly, Remy felt her emotions mediate themselves and level out into an even pattern. Pain, sorrow, hope, regret, guilt, hesitation, doubt, and then hope again.

"Stop thinking about it so much girlie. Some things ya just gotta do." Evelyn snapped her gum and pushed a lock of golden hair back behind her ears, revealing double pierced ears, studded with emerald and black hoops.

"Thought you weren't going to read my mind."

"Hey I can't help it, you think loud. Tell Logan to stop being rude, it's only going to make things worse."

"Um….." Remy was confused beyond belief but with these two girls it was almost like that had come to be expected. In the four days he had known Marie, he had quickly found that she was the most cryptic, secretive girl on the face of the earth. Having Evelyn around only accentuated this secrecy, only now there were two people who knew. "Who's Logan?"

"Nobody swamp rat. Now hush up and let the girl get some rest. We're going to have a very long day today."

"Why are we having a long day?"

"You'll see…"

"Remy don't want to see he want to-Ouch what was that?" he winced as a sharp pain bolted through his mind. It was like getting hit with one of _tantie Matti's _wooden spoons again.

_Shut up and let her sleep Remy. Jeez don't you feel how exhausted she is? _

"Evelyn what the-" he winced again and the blonde shot him a look of pure annoyance.

_You seem to forget that I'm a telepath gumbo. I suggest you shut up or I break your arm of and shove the jagged end down your throat._

"Fine." He rolled his eyes and looked out the window at the passing scenery. _So this is where the entire mutant crisis thing started._ He snorted and watched a young gang of teenage boys dressed in letterman jackets walk into an appliance store. _Maybe when we leave I should give something a real good charge and blow it all to hell. That'd be nice._

The majority of the half-hour trip was spent in silence, Evelyn looking out the rearview mirror and Marie with her eyes closed, though he knew she wasn't asleep. The cab stopped outside a large, slightly intimidating building and Maries' eyes snapped open. Handing the cabbie their fare and climbing out the door, Remy walked around to the other side and opened the car door for the girls. Evelyn smirked and grabbed the backpacks out of the trunk while Remy took Maries gloved hand and helped her out.

Her face was pale as she surveyed the grounds for any movement. Taking a deep breath and adjusting her gloves so they were slightly higher on her wrists, she waited until the cab drove away and started forwards. Evelyn fell into step next to her and after a moment's hesitation, so did Remy.

"Um...Where are we going? We just paid that guy to drop us off there so why are we walking away?"

"Somewhere I don't want anyone else to know about, no more than already so." She led them through back roads, around buildings and after a while down a long narrow street a few miles from the school. The trees that lined the roads were still green and the grass sparkling from the last remnants of morning dew.

After a few more blocks, Marie stopped at the gates to what appeared to be a boarding school. The ivy that flowed up the stone gates added to the air of privilege and wealth surrounding the grounds. A small gleam caught his eye and he brushed away some strings of plants. The plaque reflected in the morning sun and looked as if it had just been polished._ Xavier's school for gifted youngsters?_ _What the hell? _Marie touched the key pad on the side of the fence and after a moment, slid her glove off, pressing her hand to the palm scanner.

"Welcome, Rogue." The mechanical female voice droned out and the black gates swung open in towards an impressive mansion. The paved driveway was lined with trimmed grass and the fountain on the front lawn glimmered.

"What is this place?"

"Remy, Evelyn, welcome to mutant manor."

0-0-0-0-0-0

The foyer was empty, which didn't surprise Marie at all. All the lights were off and the house cold, missing the usual heat of young people running through the halls. She had never seen the mansion empty before, not completely. There was always someone here, and the absence of life made it all the more eerie, adding to the dread she felt at being back here. Though nobody was home, she felt as if the very fact that she was there was causing trouble.

"We need to get down stairs, to the hangers."

"Hangers? What the hell kind of boarding school has hangers?"

"This one." She led them towards the elevators, and as she reached for the down button felt an odd sense of dread. What if they did take the black bird? Then what would they do? The doors closed and the elevator stared its decent. When the doors opened, and they stepped out, the hallway illuminated and the doors to the command center swished open. Forge had been here; she could smell the motor oil in the air and almost smiled. The black bird sat on the tarmac, gleaming in the fluorescent lights. The ramp was down and she started towards it.

"Wait a second Marie. Remy not going anywhere until he gets some answers damn it." He sounded angry. "Remy tired of being left out in the dark, either he gets filled in or he ain't going." Evelyn started to say something but Marie cut her off.

"No, we owe him an explanation." she took a deep breath.

_We don't owe him anything stripes; you don't have to explain anything to this guy._

_Hey Remy thinks he deserves an explanation, seeing as how he don't know what's going on._

_Bub you're either along for the ride or you aren't _

"Well, are you going to say anything or just stand there? Remy don't have all day."

_Don't let him pressure you into anything Rogue; we don't need any more people knowing about the school._

_Scott, he deserves an answer, the boy is clearly confused._

_Thank you red, Remy needs to know what's going on if he gonna help out._

"Shut up all of you, please just leave me alone." Marie whispered to them. Focusing through the buzz, she looked at Remy and sighed.

"Well?" he asked

"Where do I start?"

"How about the beginning, that's usually a good place." Remy rolled his eyes, exasperated and Marie snorted.

"Well seeing as we don't have much time, I'll tell you the gist on the way." Quick as lightning, she grabbed his wrist and hauled him up the ramp, Evelyn closing it behind them. Remy sat down with wide eyes as the jet powered up, and yelped a little as they rocketed out of the hidden cavern underneath the school. After a few minutes, Marie pressed a few keys and made her way back to the passenger seats with the others, causing Remy's eyes to pop out of his head.

"Shouldn't you be flying this thing?" it was almost amusing how his voice rose a few octaves.

"Trust me it's safer if I don't."

"Marie perhaps you should start your story, give him something to take his mind off of this interesting little fear he has." Evelyn grinned, obviously planning on using his fear of planes in the future to her advantage.

"Well Remy, the story begins almost five years ago, in Caldecott county Mississippi…."

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Wait a minute, you're telling Remy that there's this big, super old mutant trying to turn the world into mutants but a lot of them will die if we don't stop him?"

"That pretty much sums it up yah." Remy just stared at her, his mouth gaping open. If the situation was different, she would have laughed. But be things as they were, she was nervous. What if he didn't believe her? What if he wouldn't help? Or worse, what if he did.

Remy blinked after a few moments, then sighed. "Okay."

Now it was her turn to stare. "Okay? Just okay? That's it?"

"Well what else can Remy say _petite?_ It's not like he has much of a choice in the matter. Try to stop this Apocalypse guy, or millions of people die. Remy's not that heartless."

"Oh…um...great." This she didn't plan for. She had expected a fight, some sort of huge confrontation. She would have understood that, but this pleasant understanding was weird. "Thanks."

"Remy has a family too _Cheri_ and he don't want them hurt."

"So what's your family like gumbo?" Evelyn asked

"Well _petite_ they're not like any other family that's for sure. "

"Why not? What's so special about them?" Marie giggled and Evelyn looked at her questioningly.

"It's not my right to tell." Marie answered the unspoken question. "Ask Remy." Evelyn looked at him expectantly and he sighed.

"My family…..collects things for a living. We're like dealers guess you could say. We acquire the merchandise and sell it to the highest bidder."

"So you're a thief?" she bluntly replied. Remy stared at her again, speechless. "I'm not an idiot. And it's all good. I think it's kinda cool actually." Marie laughed and reached back into a hidden compartment for a soda. Popping the top, she took a long sip and handed a can to each of the others.

"Well, now that we all know about me, what about you? What's your story?" Remy looked at Evelyn, who froze at his words, pain evident of her face, then nodded knowingly. "That bad?"

"My parents, their very religious. Me, not so much. When the mutant secret came out, they were horrified. They dragged me out to protests, FOH meetings, the whole nine yards. Every time they found out where another mutant was, they'd go sit outside their house with a whole bunch of other people, and harass the family. I felt horrible; the pain they put those people through was maddening.

The one that made me snap was a girl named Alexa Waddle. I knew her a little; she was in some of my classes at school. She had the ability to manipulate the molecules in the air around her, pull moisture from it. She was really nice actually, always making people laugh with random things. They tormented her for weeks, setting up tents in the street across from her home. She couldn't even leave the house, and they always had to keep the curtains pulled.

After three weeks of being cooped up inside, slowly going crazy, she cracked. Her parents had gone out the back way to get some groceries. When they came home, they found her with knife in her heart in her bedroom. And you know what my parents and all the other people did?" she looked up and met each of their eyes painfully. "They cheered. They sat there cheering as the family cried over her body." She shuddered.

"The stress of that caused my powers to manifest, quite dramatically. When my parents were talking at dinner that night, I started yelling at them about things they hadn't said out loud. For a long time, all they did was stare at me. Then my dad grabbed the knife we were using to cut the chicken and tried to stab me." Marie touched her arm gently and she stood, angrily pacing the length of the jet. "My mom tried to grab onto me but I got away and ran upstairs into my room. Needless to say I was terrified. They kept trying to get in but I pushed the dresser against my door. Then I just sat there, crying and shaking because I knew they were going to kill me. So I left, I just packed my backpack and climbed out onto the roof, slid down the gutter pipes and ran."

"What did you so after that?" Marie whispered, almost like she was afraid to ask. Evelyn smiled slightly.

"Not much, I met you guys like, a month later. Mostly just hid in alleys."

"I'm sorry Evelyn." Remy offered, knowing his words wouldn't make any difference at all but still trying to help.

"Not your fault gumbo, not like you had anything to do with it."

After that, they all just sat there, not talking often. Marie ended up asleep in the co-pilots chair, her feet dangling off the arm rest. Remy laid himself down on a row of chairs, pulling the arm rests up so that it formed a bench. Evelyn, fell asleep slumped into a corner, her knees cradling her head.

0-0-0-0-0

Marie was getting aggravated. She stood with Erik and the professor at the edge of the sparkling lake watching victor argue with Scott and Remy. Her temper was slipping rapidly and the only thing keeping her from cutting someone was the professor's hand on her shoulder, instilling a needed sense of calm.

"Erik would you please do something about him?" she shrieked as victor lunged at Scott, Jean shoving him back with her telekinesis. "He's going to make things worse!"

"I wish I could my dear, but victor listens to no man. He is an animal. That's why I hired him, he is ruthless."

"Thanks for that." She drawled sarcastically. "He causes more trouble than a repeat offender. He probably is one in most states." The professor chuckled, then winced as Scott shot victor into a tree. The primitive man came up snarling and Marie decided she'd had enough. She shrugged out from under the professors' hand and stalked over to the tree line.

"She's going to make him mad." Magneto stated blandly.

"Yes I know." The professor sighed, wishing that he had more patience for the man. "I hope he goes easy on her."

Erik looked at Charles skeptically. "I hope she goes easy on him."

"Touché."

Marie was quite a sight when angry. Everyone knew it and sabertooth was no exception. When he saw her stalking towards him, like a lion after a gazelle, he paled only slightly but stood his ground. She cocked back a fist, and before he could dodge it, it rammed into his jaw, plowing him backwards into the forest again. She pounced and after a few more blows, he was down. Brushing off her clothes, she sauntered back to the shore, a slight gash in her arm the only evidence that she had even been in a fight in the first place.

"Marie darling you should probably get that checked." Erik smiled. Marie closed her eyes and the wound began to fade.

"There, taken care of. Happy-" she cut off when a high pitched ringing ran through her mind.

"Something is going on outside. You'd best go."

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Marie wake up." the red lights flashing around the cabin were disorienting and distracting. Remy shaking her slightly didn't help either.

"What's going on?" Evelyn handed her a pack, though what was in it she couldn't have guessed. "Where are we?"

"We're here." Evelyn pointed outside and only then did Marie notice the helicopters a few yards away, the dark sand congregating around the running boards. "And so are they." Without another word, Marie slapped open the hatch and they ran out into the night.

**Sorry it took so long to post this. I was grounded last week and this week I had tryouts for Sky Dancers. That's the drill team at my school. Is it just me or am I getting sloppy? I feel like I'm getting soppy. If anyone wants to "Edit" my chapter and send it to me in a PM I totally wouldn't mind. Lol I need to do something or I'll lose your interest. Okay so here are the reviews. *leafs through her notebook filled with ideas, random quotes and future chapters* ah here it is. *slaps it onto the table***

Rogueslove22: thank you so much I like where the story is headed but just need the writing skills to get there without losing everyone.

roguelover321: oh I plan to. Lol


	11. Chapte 11

**Sorry it took me so long to update guys. I have standardized testing all this week, and I didn't make the team so I was in no mood to write last week. Add that to a serious case of writers block and you get this chapter. I want to clear some things up, because something has been bothering me. When the professor and storm "died" Scott and Jean over reacted and did something's we all know they're not proud of. It was pointed out to me that they may be sticklers for the rules, but they wouldn't do that unless backed into a wall. I'm sorry if that confused some on you, but I needed that to happen and by the time I thought of another idea I had already spread off of the previous one. Okay that clears me of the little nitpicker in the back of my mind. *ties her hair back into a pony tail* let's get to this.**

The grappling hook sped through the air and Marie jerked the rope into place, securing the line around the head of one of the horse statues hanging off of the side of the structure. Pulling hard to make sure it'd hold her weight, she attached it to a loop on the belt she had fastened around her waist from the x-jet. Remy was to her left, twirling a small satchel of poker chips around his ring finger.

"Where did you get those?" he raised an eyebrow "You stole them from the reporters didn't you?"

"Well _Cheri_, there was nothing else in that news van that Remy found interesting."

"If you didn't find anything interesting, then why did you take it? We already took them out, that one guy is probably gonna have a concussion."

"Yah well he deserved it. Now hush up before we're heard." He planted a boot against the stone and began to climb, Evelyn close behind.

"When we get up there, there's probably not gonna be much time for anything, so prepare yourselves." She gritted her teeth, her boot slipping from the crack in the stones she had been using to hold herself up. Her weight fell back onto her hands and she would have sworn her shoulder jumped out of socket. "Shit."

"You okay Marie?"

"Yah," her breath hitched when she shoved it back into place. "Just peachy."

"Good." They continued up the steep incline and Marie couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. _One way or another, things will end tonight. _

_*I ain't so sure that's the best thing darlin'*_

_Well Logan what do you suggest I do about it? _

_*I'm just saying, this could turn out bad.*_

_I know that, but it has to be done._

_*I know*_

Gripping the ear of the horse statue, she hoisted herself up and over the side to the top, rolling into a crouch.

"Looks like everything's clear topside." Remy helped Evelyn up and tossed his gear back down to the sand, its usefulness complete. "What now captain?" his attempt to defuse the tense atmosphere failed and both women gave him a searing glare.

"You can stop calling me captain and never talk like that again." She pulled his bo-staff out of her pocket and extended it silently as she started down the stairs.

"Where did you get that from?" he patted his pockets, amazed at how it could have gotten out of his jacket and into hers.

"I pick pocketed you stupid now hush up, we've got bigger problems." She pointed to the large room ahead of them and he raised an eyebrow. The room had once been beautiful, that much was obvious. The pillars lying crumbled on the floor showed ancient hieroglyphic scenes. A warrior fighting multiple men on horseback, a pharaoh running through the sand, birds in cages, people with the heads of animals. The pathway was littered with glittering debris, chunks of precious stone that had fallen from their centuries rest inside the walls of the cavern.

"Scott." The boy lay bleeding from the temple against the far wall. They ran to him and she grabbed his arm gently. _Scott come on, please don't be dead please. _She shook him, her ears ringing. Another person she cared about was hurt because of her.

_*This is not your fault child.*_

_How is it not?_

"Come on Scott wake up, don't just sit there get up and help us." She shook him again, slightly harder than before. After a moment, nothing changed, but then he groaned and she almost laughed with relief.

"R-Rogue?"

"Yah sugar it's me." She pulled him into a sitting position and Remy helped him stand.

"H-How are you here? W-What-" the crash echoing from the other side of the second set of stone doors cut him off and Marie tensed.

"Maybe we can save this conversation for another time huh?" without waiting for an answer, she took off towards the doors, pulling at them to no avail.

"Stand back." Scott ordered, and when she complied, he lifted a hand to his visor. Instantly, a bright red beam shot out, blowing the door inwards on itself. Remy whistled his red on black eyes impressed.

"Wow, that's some power you got here Cyclops." He complimented the younger man as they rushed through the doors.

"Save it LeBeau, we have a job remember. Save the world? Maybe you can recall?" Evelyn ducked through the opening and hurried to catch up with Marie.

A snarl reverberated to them and Marie's eyes locked onto Logan and Mystique fighting across the room. Logan lunged at Mystique and managed to get a decent sized slice through her torso. The blow would have killed any normal person, but to the amazement of all in the room but for Logan, her blue skin molded itself back into place as if the wound had never happened. _When did she learn that trick? _

"How the hell are we supposed to take her down?" Remy whispered to Scott, though Marie could hear him clearly.

"The only way I know how." Marie answered for him. She tightened her grip on Remy's staff and carefully made her way across the room towards the fighting animals. Logan had seen her, she could tell by the way his eyes widened slightly but he didn't acknowledge her presence. Silently as a jungle cat after its prey, she brought her arm back, as if preparing to hurl a javelin. The bo-staff sailed through the air, picking up speed as it went. Wolverine dodged out of the way as it came hurtling forwards.

Mystique screamed when it pierced her abdomen, shooting all the way through and impaling its victim to the wall. It should have severed spine, cut the life from anyone unlucky enough to get caught in its path. The snap of metal hitting the granite walls should have been sickening, guilt should have flooded her veins at the thought that she had taken a life.

The blue skin began to mold itself back together again, the woman it belonged to simply stepping out of the metal intrusion. She snarled, stepping forwards towards the one who threw the offensive object. Wolverine didn't waste any time, lunging forwards again. Scott lifted his visor, shooting mystique back again, while the cards in Remy's hands soared forwards with a magenta outline.

"I can't reach her, Apocalypses' hold is far too strong." Evelyn took her hands from her temples, dodging out of the way as Scott flew through the air where she had just been. Mystique lunged for Marie, grabbing her ankle and hurling her into the wall opposite to her.

"Don't worry about it sugar, didn't think you would be able too." Marie groaned, watching as the dance began again, wolverine circling around Mystique. As she came closer to her, Marie slipped one of her gloves off her hand, silently tucking it into her back pocket.

Standing silently, she dodged the punched Mystique aimed her way, cursing as the clawed hand cut into her arm, tearing apart the fabric of her sleeve.

"Rogue are you-" Scott called

"Scott look out." She screeched as Mystique broke away suddenly and lunged at the already battered boy. They rolled to the ground, Scott fumbling for his glasses and Mystique smiling sickly. Marie lunged forwards, pulling the woman off of him as she raised her fist, talons growing from her fingers.

"Marie, get outta the way." Remy lit a hand of cards, and Marie dodged out of the way in time for them to explode against Mystique. She flew backwards, a cloud of dust billowing over the wall where she impacted. The bear charging out of the debris roared and lunged at the Cajun thief. They circled, each trying their hardest to break the other. Mystiques attention was solely focused on mauling Remy, and when Logan got into it him as well.

That's where she made a mistake. As she backed around to get away from Logan's claws, her back faced towards Marie. Acting quickly, Marie silently rushed forwards, planting her bare hand on the blue woman's skin. The flashes began and Marie gritted her teeth to keep from yelling in pain. The memories whizzed through into her mind, behind the mental barrier she used to keep the memories in check.

"Rogue, you need to let go." Scotts voice was gentle, his bloody face concerned. He tenderly touched her wrist, removing her skin from mystiques. Marie looked down, her skin a dark shade of iridescent blue with scales covering her body. She blinked, the yellow tint surrounding everything she saw slightly disorienting. "We need to go." Scott reminded her gently, causing her to only nod.

"Stripes, what are you doing here?" Logan raised an eyebrow at her as they sprinted to the third and final door.

"What you not happy to see me?"

"Never said," he clawed the last door free. "That kid." He climbed through the door and Marie followed with the others.

"Whoa." The eye of ages, the source of apocalypses power stood in the center of the room, blue lights streaming out of it like lightning. The obelisks' that powered it shone blue, the hieroglyphs seeming to put a spell over the room.

Apocalypse himself lay inside the device, much the same as when he had been awakened. His blue skin, covered with the black markings he had been born with, radiated power. He seemed to be in agony, the machine sucking the life from him.

Remy's card soared forwards almost immediately, one following the other into the obelisks'. They exploded against them, and the blue glow faded.

"No." apocalypse sounded tired, his voice cracking in the dust. The light increased and he rose, slowly out of the eye. "You cannot stop the evolution."

"Yah well…" Marie cut off as a bolt of energy shot towards her, impaling the marble where she had been just a second before. The ace of spades soared past her head, aimed at apocalypse, who merely shifted past it. Logan's' claws TSNK'd out of his hands and he lunged at the ancient mutant, a feral snarl ripping free from his throat.

"Logan no." she screamed as one of the memories she had taken from Mystique surfaced. Scott shot at apocalypse and she grabbed his hand, desperately trying to pull it away from his visor. "You need to stop he's gonna-" she cut off and stared in horror as apocalypse lifted his hand slowly, the people around her rising with it.

"I am the future. You cannot defeat me." Marie felt like she was having a deja VO moment. Apocalypse motioned again, multicolored rays surrounding the four mutants.

"no." Marie screamed. She couldn't let this happen, not again. Not like the professor and storm. She lunged towards apocalypse, her hand outstretched.

The pain of absorbing him was like that of absorbing hundreds of people at the same time. Thousands of years' worth of emotions ran into her. Anger at the ones who imprisoned him, at the pharaoh for destroying his family, at his family for being destroyed. Hatred for the human race who so foully marred his planet with their very existence. Clarity that comes from understanding this new technology from the gods.

She felt his life draining into her, pulling every drop of energy from his body and into hers. She screamed again, allowing her eyes to roll back into her head and her body to shut down.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Magneto fell to the ground, his glowing eyes fading. Kitty could only stare in shock, slowly standing with Lances help. Warren and Roberto were just getting to their feet, staring in wonder at the now dormant form of the pyramid. If they hadn't seen it, hadn't fought to stop it, they would have thought it hadn't been touched in centuries.

"Hey, we won." Toad sounded just as surprised as Kitty felt, and from the looks on the others faces, they felt the same way. Wanda and Pietro knelt by their father, feeling his forehead, checking for signs of life. The chips lining is face fell away, the black rings around his eyes dimming.

"What just happened?" Alex asked the question they all wanted answered.

"Something must have happened at the sphinx." Angel flexed his wings, wincing at the strain.

"But how is that possible, I thought Logan and Scott were the only ones there?" Kitty scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. Something wasn't right.

"Maybe one-eye and claws pulled it off." Blob said slowly

"Maybe we shouldn't, like question it. It's a good thing right, so let's not jinx it." Alex said tentatively, almost fearfully.

"Yah, Scott and Logan know what they're doing. Just go with it and be grateful." Roberto rubbed the back of his neck.

"Father?" Wanda touched his shoulder, and gripped the collar around his neck, breaking it in half. Magneto groaned and his eyes opened. "Are you alright?" he slowly nodded, his face pale.

"whathappenedareyouokay?"

"What?" magneto sat up, slowly shaking his head.

"He asked what happened." Wanda said slowly

"I'm not sure, it's like a horrible nightmare." He shook his head again, as if trying to clear a mist from his brain. "It was- strange."

"What was it?" magneto hesitated. "Please."

"No." his voice rang with finality, and Kitty knew it wouldn't help if she argued. Something was happening, and Kitty had a sinking feeling it wasn't good.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The wind blew around her mindscape, ruffling the trees leaves, spreading the scent of pollen in the breeze. To her left, the psyches of the X-men, her family of almost three years, stood at attention, prepared for a fight. Scott stood with Jean, their hands intertwined as if this was the last time they would be able to. The professor and storm stood a few yards away, both looking as if the coming battle was going to tear the world apart.

To her right, magneto stood with his crones, pyro, sabertooth and colossus. The brotherhood and Mystique stood on the other side, her yellow eyes flashing in the low light.

"You ready for this _chere?" _

"Ready as I'll ever be swamp rat."

The sky darkened and across the hill stood apocalypse with an army of his own. The same copies of her own psyches stood with him, their skin marked with his signs. The wind picked up and apocalypse spoke in a sickening voice, dripping with acid.

"Surrender now Rogue, and I will allow you to live."

"It's over apocalypse; your mind is all that's left of you. You don't have a body anymore." Her breathing picked up at his smile. "You can't win."

"You may have taken my body, but I can just as easily return the favor." He lifted into the air, his blue body transforming, thinning and elongating into another form. His blue skin slicked over with scales and his tongue sliced through a set of pointed fangs.

"I knew I hated snakes." Marie felt her heart stop, the serpent before her glaring at her through black and red eyes.

"You are no match for me, you have already lost." His psyches charged forwards at his flanks, their feet thundering over the soft grass.

"Here we go." Marie took a deep breath, and brought her hands up to meet the attack aimed at her. A white energy flickered around her, radiation off her skin giving off an aura of power. Apocalypse curled his body around to avoid the two of diamonds as it exploded against his newly formed scales.

Remy allowed himself a small smirk before loading up the rest of the suite and sending them forwards. Apocalypse deflected them back, and smiled as he watched Marie tackle Remy away from the projectiles.

She glared up at the giant monster before her, an energy orb forming in her hands. Marie launched it at him and he stumbled back as it plowed into his middle. Wasting no time, she leapt up and fired at him again; creating explosive spheres with each step she took.

"Enough of this." Apocalypse roared, his voice hissing through clenched fangs. The earth underneath her feet began to crumble and pitch sideways, like an earthquake. His eyes glowed brighter and the grass she stood on began to grow, swirling around her and pulling her into it. "I can't kill you, for your body may die, but I can disable you."

"Marie." Remy yelled, trying to fight his way from the grass holding him to the ground. Marie struggled against it, but to no avail. As she watched apocalypse leaned down, his serpentine face just inched from her own. She could feel his breath on her cheek and fought a shudder.

"You have lost." He lifted away into the air, his form illuminated with dark energy. The grass constricted and Marie screamed as it moved up, cutting off her vision and covering her mouth so she couldn't scream. He was taking her body.

0-0-0-0-0

"Come on stripes, wake up." Logan yelled desperately, his heart rate accelerating faster with every second her eyes stayed closed. Scott knelt, his hand on her wrist, monitoring her pulse through his gloved fingers.

"Marie?" the guy stripes had come in with walked over, supporting the weight of the blonde girl on his shoulders. "Is she okay, what just happened." His red on black eyes, _demon eyes_, darted over to the pile of dust scattered on the floor. It was all that remained of apocalypse.

"L-let me down Remy. I can help her. She needs help she-" she cut off, her eyes going wide in horror, though at what wolverine didn't know. "No." Logan looked at Rogue instinctually, and stopped breathing, slowly backing away. Scott stumbled back, his pace paler then one would have thought possible.

The caverns air began to swirl, spinning around faster and faster as the Rogue's body rose into the air. Where the dust brushed her skin, it turned an arctic blue. The black lines appearing on her face seemed to mold into her skin. And then her eyes snapped open, her once green eyes now black.

"No."

**Finally I have finished this chapter! Haha it only took three rewrites and some writers block. I still don't think it's describing it the way I wanted it to go. But I owed y'all an update and this is as good as I think it's gonna get. So, I made a few changes to the story plot line, because I think it helps mine make more sense and flow more smoothly. Just going to tell you them so you're not confused.**

**Apocalypses eyes are black on red. But I changed it to all black because I thought it was a little too close to Remy's even though it's the other way around for him.**

**Kurt is not at the pyramid with Scott and Logan. For reasons you will see in the next chapter I placed him else ware. **

**Okay so I think those are the only two. I am removing my timeline for every week posting because I feel rushed and the chapters don't turn out as well. Though I will try to post often, I won't do it until I think I have it as good as it's going to get. **

**Review replies: okay so only 1 review. Oh sad face. Oh well thank you Rogueslove22 for reviewing. Lol I liked the idea of her ripping victor a new one, especially because I don't like him. Hehe**


	12. Chapter 12

**Alright guys so what language should I take next year? American Sign Language or French? On the one hand, French is sexy and our favorite Cajun speaks it, but it is a written language. ASL is not a written language, but it is at a different school from my own, so I'd need to take the shuttle there or drive. But my older cousin Michal is deaf so I could learn to talk to him. But French is at my school. Ugh what do y'all think?**

The pyramid wasn't glowing anymore. The professor froze in midair and Jean used her telekinesis to keep him from falling to the ground. The devices attached to his face fell away, the shadows dissipating into non-existence. As apocalypses hold on him lifted, the fatigued man sighed.

"Jean?" His surrogate daughter hugged him, tears of happiness streaming down her face, bringing a needed holiday from the sadness that had plagued her for what felt like an eternity. Piotr lumbered over, and snapped the collar off of Xavier's neck, freeing him from the last thing tying him to apocalypse.

"Professor are you alright?" Kurt teleported over, bringing Amara and Jamie with him.

"Yes Kurt I am fine." He smiled at his young student. Jean opened her mouth to say something, but cut off with a gasp. Turning his head he saw a bright flash from the sphinx. Something is wrong.

"Scott." Jean whispered.

"Kurt, perhaps…."

"Already on it professor." Kurt grabbed each one of them, and they all disappeared in a cloud of brimstone. When they reappeared at the stairway to the sphinx, the air was swirling around them in a hurricane of flying debris.

"Scott? Scott where are you?" Jean yelled, desperately trying to be heard over the roaring wind. "Logan?" a crash reverberated to them from inside the ancient structure and Tabitha started forwards, an energy ball forming in her hands.

"Wait, I believe something is happening." Piotr placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from moving forwards any further. They all waited a beat, the air tense with anticipation. There was another crash, and Piotr shifted his body to shield the younger mutants from the syphon of rubble spewing from the stairway.

"Scott." Jean cried in relief. He landed on his feet a few yards away, only to be toppled over by a blonde girl knocking into him from the force of the explosion.

"Jean." He struggled out from beneath the girl, nudging her off his chest and shakily standing. His uniform was ripped, singed and there was a cut on his head crusted with blood. He rushed over to her and took her by the arms. His visor glowed a bright red the way it did when he was agitated. "Jean, she's losing control, we need to help her."

"Who is Scott? What's going on?" Scott looked over at someone and Jean saw an attractive young man pulling himself off of wolverine. He groaned and looked at the sphinx anxiously.

"Can't you do something?" Scott asked desperately of him and the man looked pained.

"Remy tried Mon ami, she's not in control. He did something to her." Jean opened her mouth to demand what was going on, but she never got the chance. Amara choked out a horrified gasp, and the professor stiffened.

"_Mein Gott was mit ihr passiert_? " Kurt whispered, staring above his head in despair and sorrow. Jean followed his gaze and all train of thought cut off immediately.

"Rogue"

Her skin had taken on a blue tone, matching her glowing black eyes. The markings of En Sabah Nur covering her face. She snarled down at them, her white hair raggedly billowing in the winds continual assault. A bolt of white hot energy formed in her hands as she looked down in distain from her mantel above the sphinx.

"Rogue is no more." She spoke in his voice. The energy shot forwards from her hand, turning the place the man called Remy had been just a second before into ashes. He winced, clutching his arm as a small trickle of blood ram down the tan skin. Another ball formed and a split second later it too sailed forwards.

The air around them heated as Amara transformed into her more powerful form, the orange and black lines rippling across her body. The noise level around them increased as Jamie and his clones dodged attacks from their former ally.

"I'm sorry professor, but I need to help them." The old man nodded.

"Go Jean." She laid him aside, and took a step forwards towards the fight.

Scott took aim at apocalypse, letting loose a stream of red plasma as a trio of magenta hued rectangles soared forwards. The blonde seemed to have recovered from the fall and stood next to tabby, throwing small bombs into the sky.

Apocalypse stumbled back as the combined explosions erupted around her. Jean used her powers to levitate Pete and hurl him towards her. The two collided, both falling to the ground. Colossus rolled to his feet while En Sabah Nur lay there a moment, her face confused. She shook her head and stood menacingly.

"That is enough." she roared. "I will destroy you all."

"Then why haven't you?" Remy asked. Apocalypse's hand became coated in metal, and he had to jump backwards to keep from being bludgeoned. She snarled and opened her palm as some debris floated up into her hand, glowing with pink energy. They hurled forwards and Remy raised his arms, letting the explosions ricochet off his coat. "Because you don't have control over her body, not entirely."

"I have destroyed that puny child. I am all that remains." She thundered, blasting him back with a red glowing beam from her eyes. `Logan snarled and lunged at her.

"Logan don't." Scott yelled, but couldn't stop the three adimantium claws from cleaving into her thigh as she rose back into the air. She grunted and disintegrated into sand. For a moment, they all just stood there, shocked that it had been that easy.

"W-What just happened?" Amara looked at the ground in horror, like she was stepping on her sisters' grave. "I-Is she?" the sand began to pull together, forming the billowing figure of a large snake. The tail lashed out at Logan and he was sent flying back into the dunes. Piotr charged forwards, his fist raised to strike. Apocalypse smiled and fazed through him, grabbing his shoulders as he passed through her. They disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Where did they-" three Jamie's asked at the same time, momentarily pausing as they reached out to take more exploding spheres from boom-boom. Tabitha looked around, confusion painting her face. The sound of Kurt teleporting echoed and there was Piotr, battered and partly human. Kurt rushed to him, holding the massive Russian up to keep him from falling over. His metal skin had retracted for the most part, leaving only a mangled upper torso. The metal had been twisted in a way that could only have come from magneto's mutant ability three times over.

Then there was apocalypse, her skin molded back together as if there had never been a laceration in the first place. She zipped over, her body blurring with the speed she was running at, and knocked down every Jamie clone, causing them to disintegrate. She winced, her shoulder slightly bleeding from Scott's beam hitting her. She seemed thoughtful for a moment, then smiled sickly. She raised her arms and cascaded upwards, the sand swirling around them yet again, the start of an intense sand storm billowing on the horizon.

"It is time to end this." Black swirls of energy formed at her fingertips. As if it had its own mind, the ribbons of ebony energy whisked forwards, encircling all present but for apocalypse herself. They constricted in their victims, cutting off all oxygen flow.

The cries of the others were not lost on Jean, and as she looked at her professor being squeezed like a lowly bug, she felt helpless, waiting for death to come.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Marie tugged at the forest bonds holding her to the ground. She knew she had to escape or risk the world ending. Apocalypse still stood, if that's what snakes did, above her, his psyche controlling her body. The clashing of mutant powers echoed to her ears, and she noticed a slight shift. As apocalypses psyches met her own in a battle of wills and fury, she felt a tingling at the back of her neck.

What's happening to me? She closed her eyes, trying to pinpoint the source of this mysterious feeling coursing through her body. It was like she was lying on the roof, sun pouring down onto her pale skin. The feeling grew, and she felt herself growing stronger. Pulling at her plant bindings, she slowly ripped them away from her.

Apocalypse whirled around, his eyes wide in surprise. As she stood, she caught a flicker of uneasiness in his eyes. His serpentine form jerked back, almost as if he were afraid.

Remy, who also seemed to be stronger, freed himself from his bonds. Standing beside her, his body began to emit a slight glow. A small stream of light trickled down from the large river of light connecting apocalypse to her body. Around her Scott, Jean, Kitty, Logan, Mystique, Kurt, storm, Pietro, and Erik all became tainted with light as well.

"What's happening?" apocalypse sneered, his body morphing back to its human form. He drew a sword from the scabbard at his side, raising it above his head. Marie dodged the blow he sent towards her, firing energy at him through her hands.

He brought his hands together, trying to form some sort of weapon other than his sword. When nothing happened, he yelled in aggravation. He picked up his sword again, swinging and jabbing at her with all he was worth.

"You can't use your powers in my body can you?" she dodged him. "Your powers don't work here? Or most of them." He cleaved downwards, clipping her shoulder. She winced, but otherwise made no acknowledgment of the pain.

"I can do whatever I please." He didn't sound so sure. Remy fired an ace of clubs at him, knocking him off balance enough to let Marie slip past him and beeline for the one thing connecting him to her consciousness. Raising a hand, she let the energy around her pool into her palm, sharpening and hardening onto another form.

Her blade sliced through the connection, the light dimming as apocalypse raged towards her. Bracing herself, she raised her sword to meet his. Pouring energy into it, the mental steel of her own weapon sliced easily through the ancient mans. As his last line to completing his dream fell in shards to the ground, Marie drew herself to her full height.

"This is my body, you don't control it." Her blade shone brighter, and she hurled it at him. It struck him in the chest, sheathing itself in his leather colored skin. The energy expanded through his body, drying his skin and turning his essence to a mere fragment of black light.

The light shriveled up, dissipating into her connection to the outside world. Marie just stared after it, amazed.

"You did it chere. How's about Remy gives you a congratulatory kiss?" Remy winked at her, his trench coat slightly charred from the fight.

"Watch it Cajun, I may have to hurt you." Marie snorted, giddy with relief that she had in fact, defeated him. She sat down, her breath catching in her throat. Remy plopped down next to her, clearly exhausted. Reaching into his pocket, he drew out a deck of cards, shuffling them effortlessly.

"Shouldn't we go help them?" Marie gestured to the last of psychics as they finished offs apocalypses army.

"Nah let the kids have some fun. Not every day they get to argue with someone other than us." He flicked out the two of spades and lit it, watching the edges flutter away into oblivion.

"What is it with you and cards?" she snatched half his deck, toying with the edges of whatever card she pulled first.

"Well it's like having fifty-two explosives tucked away into one little pocket." He reached over, flipping the card she held over to face him. "Remy always save her for last."

"The queen of hearts?"

"_Bien sûr_, she Remy's _dame chance_. Gotten outta a whole bunch of jams with this one. Can't leave the house without her."

She only mumbled in acknowledgment.

"What was that?"

"I said, it'd probably be best if I go back right about now." She looked down the hill. "Everything is done. They're gonna start worrying."

"Ouais c'est probablement une bonne idée" he helped her to her feet, walking with her to the connection. The silky strands wrapped around her, cocooning her in its warm embrace as it lifted her upwards into her conscious mind.

0-0-0-0-0

When she opened her eyes, Marie felt disoriented. That particular emotion though, quickly gave way to a sudden onslaught of pain. Her entire body felt as if someone had taken her and dumped her into an active volcano.

She heard screams, and although vaguely familiar, she couldn't place them through the pain. Blinking a few times to try to clear her vision, trying to see the source of the pain, she was met with a grim sight.

Her friends, her mentors, all wrapped in a cloak of dark ebony strings. Their face contorted in pain, a few strangled choking sounds emitted from each. She felt their life forces pulling into her, although it was different then when she absorbed them. This was like she was draining their very being from them, her muscles straining as if she personally was pushing them towards death. Her fingers clenched and the ribbons pulled tighter.

With a start, she realized that she was killing them, her eyes tracing the path from their rapidly stilling forms to her outstretched hands. The energy was feeding from her, she was the source.

I can't let them die. She thought through the pain. She gritted her teeth, willing the strings to release their captives. As if responding to her, they coiled back, surrounding her in its serpentine grasp.

The pounding in her head grew and she screamed, clasping her head in her palms to try to stop the throbbing. The pain expanded with every second, the power brought by the energy too great for her to absorb. And then, like a shaken soda can, it exploded. Her eyes laced over with white, and she felt herself falling.

She knew she was going to die. Death, she thought through the pain, feels a lot like drowning.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The black ribbons slackened. Scott opened his eyes, taking a gasping breath of air, letting it fill his lungs. He dropped to his feet, his legs giving out beneath him. He looked at jean, sighing in relief that she and the others were alive.

He crawled to her, helping her stand on shaky legs. Jean wrapped her arms around him, a shallow sob escaping her throat. He clung to her, a small tear sliding down his cheek past his visor.

A scream tore apart the air around them, and Scott felt his heart stop. He whipped around, his breath catching in horror as the very thing that had imprisoned him surrounded rogue. Her pale skin returned, expelling the blue icy complexion brought on by apocalypse. The black marks faded, swirling down to join the darkness around her. Her eyes faded back to the startling grey-green they had always been.

Her face contorted again, a shallow scream escaping her clenched teeth as she brought her hands to her temples. The blackness continued to feed into her like a river into the ocean. Her arms began to shake, her entire body following almost immediately.

"What's happening?" Jean yelled.

"I don't know." He screeched back. Rogue shrieked again, and the light feeding into her exploded. The blinding white light replacing the black shot from her body, illuminating the dessert night. Scott raised a hand to shield himself and Jean, shifting his body in front of the professor.

"Marie." Someone yelled.

The light stopped and rogue fell through the sky, plummeting towards the ground, the ripped sleeves of her shirt flapping.

No. Scott thought. Jean thrust out her hand as if trying to stop their friend from plummeting to her death with her powers. She's falling to fast, we can't get her. He bolted forwards trying to angle himself underneath her to catch her.

When she was just a few yards away, her body connected the sand. Kurt ported to her just a second to late, his blue face horrified. The boy, Remy, and the girl whose name he didn't know reached her just a few steps behind. Logan crouched next to her, fear clear on his face. He slipped his glove off, pressing his bare palm to her face.

"Come on kid, absorb me." He growled anxiously. When nothing happened, he pressed both hands to her, as if more skin contact would somehow change the facts.

"Logan, let me through." The professor ordered, allowing the three Jamie's carrying him to set him down at near her head. Amara helped the battered Piotr to the group, setting him down gently.

The professor bowed his head, his hands over Rogues' temples, his face the picture of concentrating. Jean squeezed Scott's hand anxiously. Scott looked down at her; the same concern her felt clear on her face.

"It'll be fine," he whispered to her. "She'll be fine. She has to be." Jean didn't look convinced, though she nodded.

The professor looked up after a few moments, and Scott felt himself stager at the look on his face. He had only seen him look that way once. No, no she can't be dead.

"P-professor?" Kurt pleaded anxiously. Xavier wouldn't meet his eyes, and Kurt shuddered out a breath, letting it catch in his throat. He gently cupped her cheek in his hand, letting his tears roll down his face and into the sand. "Meine Schwester…" he murmured.

He leaned down, laying a kiss on each of her cheeks. The prayer he murmured broke Scott's heart, and he looked away. The wind began to pick up again, and Scott noticed the sand storm with a growing sense of alarm.

"We need to get to the jet before the sand traps us." He said grimly. Kurt looked at him, his hand still clutching his sister's hand. Scott stood, his knees caked with sand. Jamie one, two, and three hoisted the professor into their arms. Kurt lifted rogue, wincing when his shoulder protested.

"Remy'll take her blue boy," the Cajun said, calmly taking her from Kurt. They all started towards the dunes where the copters were parked, Remy and the black haired girl trailing behind.

"It's like a funeral procession." Jean murmured. Scott nodded then looked away at the storm.

"Run." the worlds were bellowing out of his mouth even before he finished processing what was happening. The storm was advancing rapidly, now only fifty yards or so away from them. "Everyone to the helicopters now."

They weren't going to make it. The jet was at least two-hundred yards away, and at the rate the sand was coming, they'd be lucky to get half their people there in time. Scott dragged jean by the hand, pulling her faster as they sprinted forwards.

Kurt ported ahead of them, dropping an exhausted Amara and an unconscious Colossus into the black bird. Scott didn't even have time to wonder how his baby had gotten there before he too was whisked away, still clutching jeans hand.

When they reappeared, Scott rushed to the controls, hurriedly starting the engines.

"What about the copters?" jean coughed, waving her hand to clear the smoke Kurt left behind.

"We're gonna have to leave them. There's no time." He adjusted the seat so he could pilot, fastening his seat belt. "Everybody buckle up." He ordered.

Kurt reappeared, holding Xavier in his arms, Jamie clinging to his back as if his life depended on it. But then again, it kind of did. Logan was next, jumping through the hatch as the sand obscured their visibility. But the two who had come with rogue weren't there.

"I can't see them." Kurt yelled over the billowing of the wind. The sand was upon them now, clogging their sight and quickly beginning to weigh them down. "I can't see them." Scott heard the note of panic in his voice, his accent becoming thicker if his anxiety.

"Jean can you scan for them?" the red head raised her hands to her temples, pupils fluttering beneath her closed eye lids. She shook her head, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"I can't find them." She moaned.

"Then we need to go." Professor X said grimly.

"What." Kurt shrieked. Scott paled at the thought of leaving behind people who wouldn't have a chance. "We can't just leave them here to die."

"If Jean cannot find them, then it means they are most likely already gone, or beyond out reach. We must go now if we mean to survive."

"We don't know that chuck." Logan argued heatedly.

"We must go now."

"But professor-" Jean started but cut herself off. They all knew he was right. Scott gritted his teeth, struggling with the moral burden of what he was about to do. Quickly, as with ripping off a band aid, he glided the controls upwards, lifting the jet skywards.

As they rose farther up, the blackbirds' passengers stared downwards, searching for any sign of life.

"Scott." The professor said gently. "We had no choice."

Scott only nodded, shifting the controls in his hands and piloting them towards china.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Remy was pissed. Her friends were gone. He'd seen the plane rising into the air through the sand, courtesy of his mutation. Now they were in the back of an abandoned research van a few hundred yards from the sphinx. Evelyn sat on the floor a few feet from Marie, while Remy himself leaned against the front seat, studying the body. He had to think of it as the body or he'd go crazy. He didn't like being shut in small spaces. He wasn't claustrophobic; he just didn't like it, felt like he was in prison. Not that he had ever been in prison before, for long anyways.

That time Remy busted Marie out was the longest he'd been in a cell in a long time. He thought to himself. He knew he was being insensitive, but he had to keep his thought off…her…or he would break. It felt like something inside him had snapped. Marie was dead. But he refused to think about it. Maybe when the storm is over, Remy can dig himself and Evelyn out. How far from a city are we? Can't be too far. Maybe if I-

Evelyn gasped; drawing Remy out of his thoughts. Her eyes were glued to the body and her face showed unmistakable hope.

"What's up?" he drawled lazily, covering his true emotions with a skilled mask. Evelyn pointed to the body, motioning for Remy to come forwards. He did so and she placed his hand gently over her mouth. The slight wisp of air was almost non-existent, yet still there.

Remy felt his breath catch in his throat and he felt her neck for a pulse. It was faint, but still there.

"Marie?" he tapped her cheek, his gloves firmly in place. "Come on wake up." Evelyn pushed him away from her, placing her hands on Maries temples and closing her eyes.

"Come on Marie wake up…"

**Yay another cliff hanger. You thought she died didn't you? Well maybe, you'll just have to find out. Only a few replies again ( do people start getting more as the story gets longer or does this one just suck?) so thank you for those who did.**

**Rogueslove22****: thanks. It made me feel great that you reviewed. **

**Tfobmv18****: thank you!**


	13. Chapter 13

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**Does anyone know where I can get a family tree or something of the sort for Remy's family? I really need one or I'm going to have to just go with what some of the other fan fictions say. But there are some different variations so I want to be sure. If you know please review and tell me. Thanks.**

Erik Lehnsheer was a patient man; anyone who knew him would see that. He bided his time well; waiting for the right moment to launch whatever it was he thought needed to be done. He was devoted and stuck in his ways. His sense of loyalty and dedication to what he believed in had inspired millions. In the face of danger, he stood his ground and held his head high and proud, no matter what.

And yet he had never felt more helpless. Around him, those he had grown accustomed to living around lay in the ground, writhing in pain. Xavier had fallen from his chair and lay still at his feet, slowly turning to nothing, the same as most of the others.

He himself felt fine. More than fine. He had never felt so powerful, as if his very being radiated energy. But then that may have had something to do with the slight glow that still surrounded him and some of the others.

He knelt by his old friend, taking his near transparent hand in his own. "What is happening?"

Charles smiled his entire self fading further with the effort. He motioned towards the lake, its waters choppy and dangerous in the turmoil around them. A flash of white, barely there at all registered in the corner of his eye and he looked back down at Xavier.

"Her own evolution." As he uttered the words, Erik held his hand as his friends body dissipated into nothing.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Wow." Evelyn stood stock still, staring at the ruined landscape before her. The trees hindered the way forward, in the process obscuring her vision. Because she had never actually been here before, she had no idea where she was or where she could go. Judging by the path of destruction though, she was near the outskirts of where the fighting had taken place.

Slowly, she picked her way through, over and under the debris, moving carefully. She may not be able to actually break anything in Marie's mind, the feeling it produced when she got back to her own body was in no way pleasant. She shoved one of the largest branches of a felled tree, grunting under its weight. She had considered cutting her way through with her psychic blasts, but had ruled it out. She did not know how it would affect Marie if she went hacking through her mind.

She reached the top of a hill, looking down into the valley below her. Here, the havoc reaped by apocalypse was somehow worse. Not only had trees been knocked over completely, they were split in half, some smoking from fist sized holes in the trunk. The grass had been ripped up by the roots, leaves and sticks coating the ground in a layer of forest carnage. The lake, its water levels significantly depleted leaving a belt of murky brown soil to ring the shores.

What caught her attention though, was the lack of people. When she had skimmed her mind before, Marie had easily had twenty to twenty-five imprinted personalities holed up in her mind. Now, Evelyn could only count ten. The clothing they wore hung raggedly from their shoulders, threads loosely falling from the torn sleeves. One more of them emerged from the ruined tree cover, bringing the total up to eleven.

"What happened here?" she yelled to a familiar form hovering near a shattered rock face at the edge of the forest. He looked up, his eyes widening at her approaching form.

"What are you doing here _fille?_" his red on black eyes studied her carefully, as if measuring weather or not she was an illusion. "Remy thought you couldn't get into _ma chères _mind."

"Her shields are down. I don't know why but they are." she stepped over another pile of debris, coming to a halt a few feet away. "What happened?" she repeated.

"Apocalypse." The one word would have been enough, but he kept talking. "He did something, there's something wrong with her, Remy can feel it. Most of the others disappeared."

"Disappeared?" they started towards the small group, their footfalls synchronizing unconsciously.

"Right into thin air. Only a few of us left."

"Who all died?"

"It'd be easier to tell you who lived _petite._" He sighed. "one-eye, red, Kitty-cat, the wolverine, to many to count kid, the blue shape-shifter, big blue teddy bear, stormy, zippy-boy, _moi,_ and mags." Though it took her a while, Evelyn eventually understood who he meant.

"That's all?" she asked, shocked.

"That's all." He confirmed grimly. She cast her eyes towards the small gathering headed towards her.

"Who is this?" an old man Evelyn immediately recognized as magneto asked warily.

"This is Evelyn, she's a telepath. Marie and Remy met her in Dallas." Magneto nodded, and a boy with silver hair zipped into their small group.

"Father I couldn't find any sign of her." He said quickly, as if he were on some sort of drug. Evelyn raised an eyebrow and cocked her hip out to the side. The psychics, those left anyways, were all here. But one key element still remained. Something vital.

"Where's Marie?" they all looked at each other, measuring their responses carefully before addressing her.

"We don't know. There was a flash and we all blacked out. When we realized what was going on, the others were…disappearing. We didn't think anything was wrong with her, just assumed she was with one of the others, or trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Only after they disintegrated did we realize she wasn't here."

"She couldn't have died like the others." Evelyn frowned, concern leaking into her mind not for the first time.

"Yes we know. Her body would be dead too if she left. Which begs the question? Where is she and what happened to her?" Scott gestured towards the decimated wood around them. "She could be anywhere."

"Not necessarily." Jean piped up. "She was up there" she pointed to a small area above and to the right of them. "Then the flash came." She looked at the fuzzy one Evelyn knew from Marie's descriptions was Kurt. "How long were we out?"

"I don't know. No way to gauge it." He shrugged, sweeping the surrounding areas with his yellow eyes.

"Well if I'm right, the blast originated from the connection she had with her body, which apocalypse had become a part of." She looked at magneto for confirmation before continuing. "So something happened to create the explosion and she went flying." She levitated herself up to where the connection had been severed. "That means she would have been forced downwards." She dropped down again. "But which direction she fell in I don't know."

Evelyn raised an eyebrow, surprised she had time to think this whole thing through.

"The connection led this way," Scott traced the air leading to the eastern half of their world, containing the smaller part of the forest and the rolling hills. "She would have been blown backwards." He turned to the west. "So that leaves all this."

The western half of the mindscape was made of vast forests and the shimmering lake, both now decimated. Kurt groaned and Remy sighed.

"Well we best get started. She's going to be supremely pissed if we don't find her soon."

They all nodded, and Evelyn caught a look on Kurt's face.

"We will find her Kurt." He looked at her, doubt clear in his eyes.

"I hope so."

They worked for what felt like hours, though Evelyn didn't know how long it really was. Time passed differently in the mind space. She pushed branches away, and Remy charged up some of the heavier branches, clearing the way nearly as fast as Pete, who simply lifted them away in his metal form.

Those whose powers were not useful in this kind of situation stood huddled near the rear of their little group, discussing possibilities and theories with Erik. The words trajectory and angle were thrown around a lot, primarily by the oldest of the group such as Scott and Storm. Jamie looked completely lost, but managed to contribute to the discussion in some way.

"But if the storm continued when the explosion happened she could have been blown in the opposite direction." The white haired weather witch argued, tracing the pointed stick in the dirt, leading away from the segment.

"This is so confusing." Jamie pointed out sullenly.

"Like yah, there are so many possibilities. We don't know what happened exactly after we blacked out. There's no way of telling what exactly happened." Kitty moaned. "At this rate we'll never find her and she'll end up in a coma for life."

"Come on half-pint we'll get through this. We'll find her."

Kurt ported to the left of them about thirty feet away, bringing a large oak tree with him. For a moment he just sat there, his face sheened with sweat. Evelyn made her way to him.

"Tired?" he nodded, pushing his shabby hair out of his eyes.

"We have hardly dented this mess. We've been at it for a long time. It must have been hours already. At this rate we'll never find her."

"You seem to forget that she's strong. She'll be alright, we just have to keep trying." She reassured him, patting his back a bit awkwardly.

"Why do you care?" he snapped. "You don't know her." Evelyn paused, considering her words.

"In the beginning it was to prove a point," she said quietly "but now, I think she and I could grow to be friends. She seems nice, and this place proves it. She is quite the interesting person. I think I like her. Besides," she smirked. "I think Remy's a bit fascinated with her as well." Kurt pulled a face.

"Yah don't remind me."

"You don't like him?"

"As a person, he seems fine for the most part. It's just him and my sister I don't care for." His blue spaded tail twitched anxiously.

"Why?"

"Why?" he hissed. "He's a thief for one. He makes a living off of other peoples misfortune. I got my pocket picked once in berlin and let me tell you it was not fun. And he's a womanizer. You should have heard him talking to angel and Kitty a while back. He was going on and on about how no woman could resist his charm." He rolled his eyes.

"That all?" she inquired, barely suppressing the urge to smile.

"Isn't that enough?" Kurt looked at her skeptically. "Or are you another one of those who can't resist his charm?"

She ignored his statement, waving it away with a flick of her hand as if it were a bug. "You know I've been inside his mind." Kurt raised his eyes in question. "He projects sometimes okay? I didn't go digging. Much. Anyways that's beside the point."

"And what would that point be?"

"If you get to know him," she looked over at the Cajun as he charged a few pebbled and hurled them into the wreckage. "Maybe you'll find he's not what he appears on the outside." Kurt studied her a moment, then nodded, porting away to get back to work.

Evelyn walked back to the others, who had continued their discussion while she had conversed with Kurt.

"This would take a lot less time if I could use my powers." Scott was saying, clearly getting impatient. "It's going to take forever if we keep at this pace."

"I've got news for you boy-scout." Mystique began in a patient tone, as if talking to someone with the IQ of a wooden bat. "If you use your powers to cut through the forest, and if Rogue is in there, it could hurt her."

"Not to mention cause more damage than it's worth." Jean interjected. "Scott I know you want to find her, we all do. But were already in a hole with all the damage here. Just taking the easy way and blasting everything to bits wouldn't make it any better."

Scott looked as if he was going to argue a bit, but only nodded. Kitty turned and paced away, wringing her hands. She took a seat on a rock near the water's edge, staring into the deep blue liquid. The sun had come out a few minutes ago, almost as if the mindscape was trying to make a miserable day better. The lake had gone back to its normal state, minus a few inches of water of course, for the surface had been sprayed all over the mindscape. Though it was warm, the water coating everything within fifty yards of the shore had not evaporated yet.

"Gross." Kitty moaned. She stalked back to their gathering, the back of her clothing soaked. "Why is there water here and not like, over there." She gestured to the eastern shore. "It's nice and dry over there."

"Kitty it's wet over there too." Pietro pointed out smugly. "The storm soaked everything, including apparently, your-"

"Haha very funny Pietro. And for your information you pompous idiot, the other shore is like, completely dry." To prove her point, Shadowcat gestured to the opposite bank, which was indeed, dry.

"How did the storm only get some of the shore wet?" Jamie scrunched his eyebrows. "Isn't that supposed to be impossible?"

"Yes, it should be." Jean said. "Unless…" she stared at the water, the color draining out of her face as she flew towards the shore.

"Jean what's wrong?" Scott ran after her. "Jean?" the others followed, Piotr and Remy coming out of the forest with Kurt to see what was happening. Evelyn caught up with them quickly, grabbing onto jeans shoulder as soon as she was able.

"Jean what's going on?" she demanded, understanding from the look on the red heads face that it was major.

"Only this side of the lakes shore is wet." She stated, as if it should explain everything.

"And what does that entail child? I'm afraid that you are going to have to explain it to us." Magneto said gently, his grandfatherly personality leaking through the hard leader he showed everyone but those close to him.

"Think about it." Jean said, searching the surface of the lake for something. "There are only two ways that could be possible. One, if storm did it." The white haired goddess glared at her.

"This is no time for jokes Jean." She said tersely.

"I know storm. Option two is if something fell into the water from above." She looked at the others. "Rogues connection was right there." She pointed to an empty space above the water, and everyone stared. Kurt ported over to the shore, his eyes searching the depths.

"If she really is in there, how would she still be alive?" Scott asked.

"Because things here don't work the same as they do in real life. Now help me look." Jean snapped, lifting his off his feet into her arms. They soared above the lake; Erik and storm close behind, as if they were birds.

"There." Magneto dove down to hover above the water. "Do you see?" he pointed below the surface, and Jean nodded. Without another word, she looked at Scott and soared higher into the sky.

"What are they doing?" Mystique asked. "If they see her why aren't they diving down and getting her?"

"Watch." Piotr murmured, and smiled as Jean dropped Scott into the water. The resulting splash swept the shore once again, reapplying the coating of wetness to the sand.

The next few moments were agonizing, the tension radiating from everyone only adding to that Evelyn felt herself.

Finally Scott's head broke the surface and he reached an arm out, letting storm host him and the limp wet form in his arms out of the lake. Evelyn let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and rushed forwards to meet them.

"Get out of the way." Logan ordered of those blocking his path. Scott shifted the unconscious girl into his arms and Logan brought her away from the water.

"Come on stripes wake up." he laid her out on a cleared patch of grass, sunlight illuminating her pale form. The white stripe running through her hair had matted itself against her cheek and her auburn locks hung in clumps against the small green plants.

The others stood around them, worry the norm in all their features. Jamie kneeled next to the girl and touched her arm gently. Colossus reverted himself back to his human form and placed a hand over hers in an attempt to warm her. One by one, everyone sat themselves near her, shifting so as not to obstruct anyone else's line of sight to her. Magneto stripped off his cape and laid it over Maries still form.

"Come on Marie wake up." Evelyn whispered her eyes glues to her face. The girls' eyes fluttered and Kurt gasped, porting over to her head.

"Rogue?" she groaned and slowly, her eyes opened. Kurt laughed and gently hugged her. Everyone grinned and laughed.

"Thank god."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Remy hated waiting. It was kind of a cliché actually. The impatient prince of thieves. Given that had never stopped him from getting a job done but it didn't make him like the task any less. The confined space they were trapped in offered little to distract his idle hands. He had used all of his cards fighting, and the poker chips he had stolen were long since disintegrated. He had charged them and let them explode in hour two. Now, four and a half hours into Evelyn's little field trip to Maries head Remy thought he may go nuts.

He sat down again, watching the pair across from him. Was it bad that Evelyn hadn't moved since she started? He sincerely hopped not. Because if it was he would have absolutely no idea what to do about it.

Then he felt something and cursed under his breath, one thing very obviously teasing him at the moment.

"Where the hell is a McDonalds when you need one?"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Marie took the water Pietro handed her weakly, the speedster catching it before it could fall out of her weak hands. She smiled faintly in thanks and he poured a bit into her lips.

"You feeling a little better kid?" Logan had asked her that every ten minutes since she woke up. Not that she didn't appreciate his concern, but the answer wasn't changing all that fast.

"Like Mr. Logan, You asked that a little while ago." Kitty pointed out and Marie snickered in her head. Apparently Kitty was getting a little annoyed too. "If she feels much different, I'm like, sure she'll tell us."

"Sorry half-pint." He grunted, situating himself so he could help her if need be.

"Wolverine my friend, I think Marie just needs rest." Remy said from his post against one of the splintered trees. The animalistic mutant glared at him but said nothing.

"So like, what now?" Kitty piped up after a slightly awkward silence. "As much fun as this is, I doubt we can stay here forever. Evelyn needs to update Remy and the others."

"The others?" the blonde telepath raised an eyebrow. "What do you-oh? Yah the others." She shifted slightly, struggling to mask her discomfort.

"Which reminds me child." Erik spoke up. "As helpful as you have been here today, why is it you here and not Charles?" the psychics murmured, the thought had also crossed their mind. "Not to say you haven't handled yourself, but he has far more experience."

Evelyn was saved from answering when Marie carefully sat up. Kurt and Logan each took her hand and Kitty gently eased her back down.

"Careful _liebe Schwester,_ you're still weak." Kurt reprimanded sternly.

"Kurt I'm fine. J-just a little tired is all. Nothing to worry about sugar." She forced a smile, though it came out as more of a grimace.

"Kid you may be good but you're not that good." Logan remarked bluntly. "Just sit down and get some rest."

"I'm afraid I must agree with the wolverine." The large Russian near her said. "You are not well enough to be exerting yourself in any way." Marie pulled a face and Kurt patted her hand.

"I'm sure you'll be back soon. Trust me these things take time. The professor and I were studying this kind of thing before…" Jean trailed off, not wanting to bring up what exactly it was before.

"And besides," Scott said cheerfully. "When you lost control before, you were out for almost three days." Jean elbowed him in the side and he flinched. "What?"

"Let's not bring that up again Scott. She-"

"It's alright." Marie cut in, wanting to avoid any arguing.

"Why are we just standing here?" Mystique demanded. "The girl is obviously tired so let her rest and lets finish getting this place put back together. This mess is disgusting me."

"Can't you for once think of anyone but yourself?" Storm snapped at the shape shifter. "The child needs our help."

"There is nothing we can do now that we haven't already done." She stood primly. "Why waste time sitting here pretending everything is alright?" Storm bared her teeth and Erik stood between them, shielding one from the other.

"This is no time for arguing. Raven, Jamie, Remy, Piotr, Jean, Logan and I will begin clearing and fixing the landscape. The rest of you stay here and keep watch over Rogue." Without another word, he took those appointed to cleanup crew and led them to the forest.

"Evelyn," Scott said. "Why don't you go update Remy?" the blonde nodded and faded into nothingness.

**Yay! I finally finished this chapter! Alright so I have drawn some stuff for this story and am going to post it on so if you want you can check it out. the url is:.com/ **

**Review replies:**

**Rogueslove22: ****thanks for your review. Seriously. It made me really happy. And yes. Yay Rogue isn't dead. Because then the story wouldn't be. Lots more planned. And thanks for the advice.**

**princess apollo:**** thank you so much! Keep on reviewing! Props for first time story review! Yay cyber high five! **


	14. Chapter 14

**Finally its summer. So soon I may not be posting for a little while. Not much longer than normal. I'm going to the Whittington center this summer. It's a camp in New Mexico for two weeks. So just a warning.**

"Remy, Remy wake up." Evelyn's voice wafted through the mist in his mind and the Cajun charmer bolted up in his seat. He blinked, knuckling his eyes to clear away the spots. He arched his back and groaned as the disks in his spine cracked.

"_Bonjour mon petit_, what brings you here?" he drawled, hoisting himself up to as much of a standing position as the van allowed considering his tall frame. "She alright?" his nonchalance was forced, but he couldn't let her know that. That would be bad for his image.

"Yah, we found her." Evelyn smiled, and Remy sighed internally. His empathy told him she was still concerned, but that emotion was overruled by the relief.

"Was she lost?"

"Yes, in a sense." She waved a hand, offering no explanation. "Just came back to let you know what was going on." At his nod, she turned back to Marie's body, then stopped short. "Remy?"

"_Oui petit?_" he looked up to her thoughtful expression.

"In her mind, she has copies of everyone she has ever absorbed." He nodded, remembering Marie telling him about that particular side effect of her mutation.

"_Oui,_ I remember."

"Well, she has a little you up there." He smirked a little at that, just holding back the lewd joke on his tongue. "Yah Haha, very funny." He raised an eyebrow. "You were projecting. Put your dirty mind away so I can finish giving you a compliment and get back to what I was doing."

"Oh, then by all means carry on. Remy loves compliments."

"Yah I would never have guessed." She rolled her eyes, amused. "As I was saying. The psychic of you in her head helped her. It meant a lot to her. I just thought you should know."

Remy nodded and Evelyn turned back to Marie, closing her eyes and becoming completely still once again.

_Nice to know this Cajun is good for something now and then._ He thought morbidly, recalling many times when he had been far from helpful. Hell if it wasn't for him, Marie would probably still be in the prison back in the big easy safe and not in a practical coma. Or better, she would be safe in some dingy hotel or something, completely content to have never met him at all. Of course the world would probably have ended but that was beside the point.

_I helped her._ Why did that make him feel so good? On one hand helping people was nice from time to time, but a thief can only spread so much sunshine. Still, why did he feel an attachment to this girl? Why did he want to protect her all of a sudden?

0-0-0-0-0

Marie watched from a distance as Piotr set a large oak tree aside, placing it in the small organized pile of foliage that could be replanted. She was mildly surprised at the amount of plants that could be returned to their place, for it almost equaled the burn pile.

"Well she certainly is getting a lot better." Storm was telling Evelyn quietly, thinking they were out of earshot. "But I have some concerns."

"Yah, me too. But we just have to hope for the best. Maybe if we're lucky, she will recover quickly and we'll be able to get out soon. The air supply is running down and we need her help to get everyone out."

"Perhaps we could commission the real gambit and he could start trying to tunnel out."

"That wouldn't work. We're most likely underneath too much sand. If he starts digging, the san will just flood into the van and trap us even more."

"Then how do you propose we get out? We're running out of time." The weather witch snapped exasperated.

"I have a theory. If it works, it won't put any more pressure of Marie." They leaned in closer and Marie couldn't make out what they were saying anymore. She was getting really tired of people trying to tiptop around her. She wasn't weak.

God if only she could get back to her body, she was sure she could find a way out. She just had to make them stop paying attention to her.

"Like Rogue, is there something wrong?" Kitty asked and Marie realized with a start that she had let her emotions creep through to manifest themselves on her face. She quickly covered herself and looked at the valley girl.

"Yah Kitty, I'm alright." She could tell Kitty knew she was lying but the younger girl didn't call her on it. She simply nodded, not quite hiding the skepticism in her eyes.

"Kitty?" storm called to her. "Could you come here for a moment?"

"Be right back." Kitty told Marie, then stood and headed over to the white haired goddess.

Marie watched her go, then carefully sat herself up, leaning against the stump of a tree for support. Pietro zipped over to her and she sighed. Couldn't a gal so much as move without someone trying to help her?

"Any idea what they're talking about?" the speedster asked. Marie shook her head and he sighed. "Their probably planning on taking over your body and using it to wreak havoc on unsuspecting civilians." He muttered darkly. "It seems like something they'd do."

Marie chuckled and eyed the boy suspiciously. "You say that like you know from experience." He shrugged and she smacked the back of his head, though it did little to stop the smirk growing on his face.

"Still," he looked at the trio again. "I feel like they've got something cooking."

0-0-0-0-0-0

"You want me to what?" Kitty hissed, perturbed that they had even suggested the idea, much less given it serious thought.

"We want you to connect with Rogues body and phase us through the sand to the top." Storm replied evenly. "It is the safest way to get us all out."

"I'm like, not going to just take Rogue's body from her." Kitty insisted vehemently.

"Child we know this doesn't sit well with you, but it is the only foreseeable option. We cannot come all this way just to die of oxygen deprivation."

"What we mean, is that we all want to get out of here alive. Rogue is far too weak to do it herself and she doesn't know how to use the powers of the psychics she had. Storm told me what happened when she lost control, and I think that's the key to our problems." Evelyn said smoothly. "We don't like the idea any more than you do. But we don't have any other options."

"What does Rogue like, think about this?" Storm and Evelyn exchanged a glance.

"If we're going to get out, we need to do it quickly. I'll explain to her what our plan is but time is of the essence."

"I will do it." Storm stood, offering a hand to each of the other women and helping them up. "She is more likely to listen to me." Evelyn nodded and they walked quickly towards Rogue.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Marie didn't like this plan. She didn't like this plan at all. Sure she trusted Kitty with her life, but that didn't mean she wanted her to take her body.

"I didn't think they'd actually do it." Quicksilver murmured. Marie nodded, her eyes transfixed on the valley girl as she walked towards the connection to HER body. Her anxiety increased when her friend was cocooned in the silky strands.

Remy patted her shoulder. "The _chaton_ knows what she's doing. You can trust her. Remy's sure of it."

"That's not the problem." She whispered. Remy raised an eyebrow. "I trust her with my life. But it's my body."

0-0-0-0-0

"Like stop squirming." Kitty snapped at Remy as they phased up through the sand towards the surface. "I don't know about you but I don't think becoming one with the sand is like, how you want to die."

Remy had to resist shuddering. He looked over at Evelyn, who simply shrugged and looked up as the light of day began to reflect through the rapidly decreasing layers of sand.

Remy gasped as they rose back into the dessert heat. He rolled himself over, his breath heaving out into the air. "Remy ain't ever doing that again." He panted. Evelyn chuckled but otherwise didn't comment.

"You so need to like, get over it gambit." Kitty scolded him. "It's not all that like, hard to do." She rolled her stunning green eyes, looking to the sky as if to ask why people were so squeamish. Evelyn rolled to her feet and pulled Kitty up through the covering of her shirt. The black leather gloves she had worn were buried in the sphinx.

He pulled out a pair of sunglasses and slipped them on as he studied the landscape. The sand storm must have been fairly large, for not only was the news van completely buried, but so were the helicopters the X-Men had arrived in. the great sphinx's paws were almost covered in sand and from his post a few hundred yards away, he could see a group of people surrounding the stone giant. One of the figures shifted and Remy recognized the uniform of a United Nations soldier.

"We'd best be going before the boys in blue see us." He told the girls, who nodded. Together, they stealthily made their way over the dunes, keeping low so as not to be spotted. They ducked around an abandoned truck as an armored convoy passed by and Remy tried to ignore the pain he was feeling from the girl beside him.

Kitty was pale, even more so then usual and her breath came in shallow trickles of air through her lips. She swiped her hair away from her eyes again and with a start he realized her body wasn't completely healed. The spot on her shoulder where she had been shot by Cyclops trickled a bit of blood and she held herself like she was trying not to move more than necessary. Gently, he touched her back, frowning as her muscles tensed further and the pain increased.

"We can't walk very far. We won't be able to make it without being spotted." They probably could, but with Kitty suffering the way she was would only make things worse. They needed a safe place to rest and for Marie's body to recuperate enough for them to figure out what they were going to do next.

_The guild._ He bit his lip. His family had property all over the world, including Egypt. Safe houses near popular tourist spots were an essential in his line of work. There would most likely be a place around the sphinx that was owned by the thieves' guild.

He looked at Kitty again, feeling the pain she felt thanks to his stupid powers. His heart wrenched for the girl and his decision was made.

"We need to stop for a minute." Remy whispered to the girl. Kitty couldn't quite cover up the relieved expression on her face and he smiled at her knowingly. Easing her down to the sand, he walked a little ways away, dropping behind a sand dune as another convoy passed, the soldier's heads sticking out of the bullet proofed windows looking for any sign of trouble.

Reaching into one of the inside pockets of his coat, he pulled out a small black palm pilot. Flicking the switch to bring the LED screen to life, Remy tapped in an intricate mixture of symbols, numbers and letters, finally unlocking access to the device. The data was encrypted, symbols that to anyone but a high ranking thief would be less than useless. But Remy wasn't just anyone. The language his family had secretly scribed themselves came as naturally to him as French and English. He scanned the contents, picking a suitable location, then shutting down the device and crawling back to the girls.

"We really should like, meet up with the X-Men soon." Kitty was telling Evelyn in that newly acquired valley girl accent of hers. He preferred the sassy southern spitfire to the cheeky Chicago girl controlling her body. "They're going to like, be totally panicking if we don't let them know were okay." _So Evelyn hasn't told Marie what happened._ He raised an eyebrow at the blonde. She was nervous, a little apprehensive and very, very unsure. It was small of him, but he kinda found it amusing.

"We'll explain everything soon enough _Cheri_. Remy got a place for us to stay until we can get things sorted out." He covered for the blonde, who looked relieved she didn't have to explain. "It's just a few miles from here. Think you can make it?" she narrowed her eyes and stiffened a bit. Kitty may have been more of a girl then Marie, but she didn't like people assuming she was incapable of anything either.

"I'll be fine." She squared her shoulders; hiding the twinge of pain it caused her well.

"You sure _belle_?" he smirked. "Remy could always carry you. He wouldn't mind."

"I like, sure you wouldn't." she smiled a little as they set out towards the east.

0-0-0-0-0

Remy unlocked the lock to a deserted shack seventeen miles from the sphinx. The floor was dusty and the only appliance was a busted up old TV. Kitty coughed and Evelyn blanched a bit.

"Um….Remy? Are you sure this is the right place?" Evelyn asked, as if waiting for him to burst out laughing and lead them somewhere else. "It doesn't really seam your….. style."

Remy had to keep his poker face on, though it was hard. "Of course _petite._ This is one of the best guild safe houses in the world." Kitty raised an eyebrow and Evelyn sighed. She shifted her weight to help the other girl down to the floor, but Remy just took her shoulder and pulled Kitty into his arms. She yelped and quickly tried to cover any exposed skin that could hurt him.

"Are you like, crazy?" she hissed at him, a slightly terrified look on her face. "I could absorb you. And Rogue would so totally be like, livid." The Cajun chuckled.

"So I like to live dangerously" he drawled, amused more then he let of as they walked towards the opposite end of the shack. Kitty mumbled, though he knew from his empathy she wasn't nearly as annoyed as she claimed to be.

They walked over to the far wall and Remy shifted Kitty so he could use one of his hands. He tapped the wall and a key pad popped out. Both girls jumped and Remy allowed himself a small smirk. Keying in the combination, he then leaned down and looked into a hole in the wall. The red retina scanner verified his identity and the floor across from them against the far wall opened to reveal a set of stairs.

"Ok." Evelyn allowed. "That is more your style." They crossed over, descending, Kitty still in Remy's arms. The stairway was lit with fluorescent light bulbs, glowing from old fashioned lanterns. The railing was made of oak and imbedded with swirls and curves, forming a rippling ocean in the glistening wood.

As they reached the bottom, the corridor expanded into three branches. Remy led them down the first one and tapped a button near the floor with the top of his boot, sealing them inside. A few yards more and there was another set of tunnels. This time, Remy chose the third one and off they went again.

A few more turns, a few back tracks and false walls later, they were in a nice living room furnished with Victorian style furniture. He laid Kitty out on a bed in one of the connected rooms and she immediately closed her eyes. Sleep over came her and he smiled, knowing she was giving Marie her body back.

He closed the door, and then walked over to find Evelyn studying the room with the expression of a child in a toy store.

"Like it?" he asked the blonde. She nodded, her gaze still fixed to the setting. He chuckled and plopped down on the sofa.

"It's beautiful." She murmured to herself, Remy's acute sense of hearing the only reason he picked up on it. She touched the finely made cherry wood coffee table and ran her fingers over the intricate carvings covering the top.

Remy left her to her musings and went into his own bedroom, turning out the light and reveling in the darkness, though it didn't take long for his mutation to kick in and allow him to see as well as he would in daylight. He lay on the bed and closed his eyes.

The ring of a phone brought him violently out of his sleep and he reached over to the specialized land line build into the bed side table of his room.

"Hello?" he said into the receiver, his tone showing no evidence of the sleep he had enjoyed just moments ago.

"Remy?" whispered the voice on the other end of the line. He immediately recognized it as the gruff brotherly tone of his _frère_, Henri.

"Henri?" he asked, shocked that he was calling and wondering how in the hell he knew where to reach him. "How did you-"

"_Bonjour mon frère,"_ he said seriously. "I have news." Remy say up straighter at that. Since his exile he had only received calls from his family when something pertaining to him came up. And more often than not it was negative.

"Alright." He braced himself for the worst.

"There's a chance, and nothing for sure yet. But there is a chance," Remy braced himself. "That you can come home soon." Henri exclaimed. He sounded like he was laughing. Remy let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and laughed joyously.

"H-how," he managed between fits. "When did this happen?"

"Turns out Bella gone soft on some assistant of her fathers. So….." he trailed off. "They haven't completed negotiations yet, but its close._ Père_ is pushing for them to lift your exile as part of the treaty, and he doesn't see any reason why Marius would deny it. To be honest, I think Belladonna wants you back too. If only to apologize."

"Well that's-this is great. Do we know when-"

"I said it wasn't for sure yet Remy." Henri chastised gently. "I just thought you deserved to know. When we know, you'll be the first to find out." Remy huffed out a breath, but otherwise didn't complain. This was after all, much better than he had even thought to hope for.

"I appreciate it_, Mon frère._"

"So, when you came in the motion sensors picked up two other people. From what I saw on the feed, am I far off when I ask are they your newest _petite amie's_?"

"Actually, _oui, _you are." he replied smugly, ignoring the small voice at the back of his mind wishing it was as his brother had suggested. Henri waited a beat. "Am I going to get an explanation?"

"How about I explain when I see you."

"Alright then. _Au revoir mon frère. _Rester_ en sécurité."_

"No promises." The line died and Remy placed the phone, making sure it was out of sight.

_I might be going home._ It echoed through his mind, coloring each of his thoughts with a tint of cautious hopefulness. It had been a long time since he had hoped for such things, such impossible things. He would be able to see his family again. He could go into the city without watching over his shoulder. He could take more jobs there.

He wondered what Marie would think if she knew he wasn't even supposed to be in New Orleans the day they met. The only reason he had been there at all was because the client had specifically asked for him. And the price of course. Always the price.

Relieved as he was that Evelyn hadn't told Marie the truth about him, he felt it a fruitless gesture now. She had absorbed him and probably knew all his dirty little secrets. How she wasn't afraid of him he didn't have the foggiest idea.

These two girls were a mystery to him. Marie, Rogue, with her untouchable skin and dark secrets lurking in the shadows. No wonder she put on the façade she did, though the thief saw straight through it. She pretended not to care about her powers, putting on her touch-me-not demeanor simply to protect herself and others. But it ate at her. It tore her apart inside, the need she felt to be loved, to be needed, to be wanted. She hid it well, and he doubted even her X-Men friends saw completely through the guise. How would she take it when she found out they had abandoned her? He didn't care to speculate.

Evelyn, the blonde beauty from Texas, with blue eyes that sparkled like the most precious sapphires his family had ever acquired. He thought highly of her, despite knowing her for less than a week. She had secrets, like everyone else, but she didn't hide them as much, perhaps having something to do with her powers hearing things that should be private. This amazing young woman had found a way around his shields, allowing her to read his mind, granted she had to try, or he had to be projecting. But that was still beyond the grasp of most telepaths. And yet she didn't take the chance to go where no mutant had gone before. She left him be.

She seemed to have taken to Marie, protecting the younger girl as much as she thought appropriate. Like an instant older sister. She and Mercy would get along well.

Knowing sleep would not come; he brought himself out of his room and walked into the common space. Evelyn was asleep on the couch, her fingers brushing the vintage carpet lightly and her body rose up and down with each intake of breath. He smiled, recalling her enthusiasm for antiques upon entering.

He quietly made his way through a corridor to the bathroom, and turned his mind off as he turned the nob and let the water run down his back.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked Marie as she walked down towards the lakes edge. "Kitty said your body would need more time. She said-"

"I know what she said Kurt." She snapped, then gently touched his shoulder as if to soften her sharp tone. "I need to do this."

"You couldn't just wait a little while?" he asked unconvincingly, knowing arguing would do no good at all.

"I can't." She hugged her younger brother tightly. "Gotta see what's happening up there in the real world now don't I."

"Alright, but be careful." He warned. "Jean said you shouldn't be doing too much."

"I promise." She kissed his cheek, and then touched the silky strands of her connection, allowing them to twist through her fingers and bring her into the light.

0-0-0-0-0

She blinked her eyes dry from lack of use, like she had slept with contacts in. she hurt everywhere, just like Kitty had said. _But I can handle it_, she told herself. She wouldn't back down from something as inconvenient as pain. She couldn't let it beat her.

As her eyes adjusted, she took in the room around her. It was vintage in design, with silky curtains hanging from a red wood canopy. There was a crystal shade on the lamp resting on the nightstand but no windows and only one door.

_Where am i?_ Confusion and worry began to seep into her emotional wave pool, mixing with the pain she already felt. Shouldn't she be back at the institute? She scrunched her eyebrows and gritted her teeth through the fresh wave of pain.

The door creaked open and a glowing pair of red on black eyes peered in from the doorway.

"Hey _chere, _how you feeling?" he lowered himself to the edge of her bed, not even jostling her weakened body. A light pressure on her hand and she looked down to find her hand covered in his through the blanket. She rewarded him with a weak smile and his face softened.

"W-where are we." Her voice was raspy, the whisper barely formed.

"Safe house." He whispered to her.

"What happened?" he hesitated and Marie felt her dread increase. "Remy?"

**Princess Apollo:** I love McDonalds. Lol thanks for reviewing.

**Rogueslove22:** thanks for the tip, it really helped. I tried to read the comics but I always start and get totally lost. I just gave up for the most part. Need on online thing to read off of. Thanks for reviewing!

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	15. Chapter 15

**So I finished camp and it was a blast. So here I am again, writing down my crazy ideas and thoughts. So do you guys think that too much happens in these chapters? It seems like I have a lot loaded into a chapter. What do you think?**

The water clicked off and Marie gently lowered herself into the sparkling vanilla scented bubbles. A groan escaped her lips as she sank deeper into the bath. The heat worked its way into her sore muscles, bringing relief she hadn't even known she needed. The wound in her shoulder stung a bit as it entered the soapy water and she grimaced instinctually, knowing that it would probably leave a scar.

Her thoughts turned to the X-Men, and the questions that had plagued her mind for the last week surfacing yet again. Where were they? Were they alright? When were they coming back?

These questions though, she didn't have the answers to. During the week it had taken her to recover enough to move around on her own, she had asked Evelyn and Remy numerous times to enlighten her. But they were very good at avoiding questions. Remy took the "distract and redirect" approach, something she knew by now that he had mastered. She never even noticed what he had done until she lay in bed that night and the questions popped back into her head. Then she would go back to him and demand answers, only to play the game again. Normally, it took an enormous amount of courage and a lot of skill to distract her, but he had managed to do it on multiple occasions. But this was a special circumstance, and she had been slightly off her rocker for a while. She would have been supremely pissed if she hadn't been busy trying to get around it, there would be plenty of time to be mad later.

Evelyn was just as bad, with her not really an answers. When the subject came up, she would suddenly become very unsure of herself, and she began looking around the room for a distraction. When asked where the X-Men were, she would respond "Oh you know, just taking care of some stuff." Then she'd find something to busy herself with, like polishing the furniture she seemed so fond of. When met with the question: "Why wasn't it the professor who brought me back?" she shrugged stiffly. "Oh you know how he is." She'd laugh nervously and go back to drawing. "Why are we here and not at the mansion?" Marie would ask, only to be met with a: "Why, don't you like the décor?" it was maddening to say the least. And she couldn't seem to pry the answers out of the telepath like she did with those at the mansion. If Evelyn started to look overwhelmed, Remy would take over and the conversation would take a nice little detour into randomness before picking back up again. It was like driving in a circle. A really small circle.

Without any real answers, her idle mind was left to speculate. She had begun to come up with her own little scenarios in her mind, changing them as the week progressed. At the beginning, she had been convinced that they had left her there, deeming her not worth the effort. But then the rational part of her had pointed out that they weren't like that, reminding her of what they stood for. So with that theory dismissed, she came to the conclusion that they too were buried, just like she had been. This scenario then molded itself into something else completely, giving birth to enough theories and possibilities to sustain her through her boredom.

_*You're way overthinking this kid. You know I'd never let you get left behind.*_

_*Like, Wolverine is totally right. Scott and Jean may have been mad before, but they totally can't possibly be mad anymore.*_

_*Yah Rogue, I mean come on. I know I was mad before at you, but Jean and I overreacted. Besides, you risked your life to save the world. That would have gotten Sabertooth off the hook far as I'm concerned.* Logan growled a bit. *Well maybe not Sabertooth* he amended._

"Um guys, I'm kinda in the bathtub. Little privacy?" she whispered and felt them retreat into her mind again. Rolling her eyes, she ducked her head underneath the liquid and let it soak each strand of her hair. She loved the feeling she got when her wet hair swirled around her beneath the surface, like she was one of the women on a bottled water ad. Though she would never tell anyone, but she always thought it'd be great to star in one of those Olay Ribbons Body Wash commercials. She closed her eyes, letting the heat seep down into her bones, warming her inside and out. She never got water this hot back at the institute. There were too many students to be able to indulge in such a delight.

Two hours later, she reopened her eyes, her body noticeably cooler then she last recalled. It didn't really come as a surprise to realize she fell asleep. The water had let off most of its heat, creating an unpleasant atmosphere. She shivered, pulling the plug and stepping onto the plush rug next the porcelain basin. Reaching out, she closed her eyes, shielding them from the water running from her hair, and felt her fingers brush against the plush material of the towel.

Wrapping it around her, she pulled her hair into a twist, drying it between layers of soft cotton. Looking into the mirror, she grimaced and pulled the forest green fabric tighter against her pale skin. The bruises matting her skin had faded a bit, leaving ugly yellow streaks across her arms and down her back. Though Logan had offered to take over and heal them, she hadn't wanted to give up control to anyone more than necessary.

As the door to the bathroom clicked shut, she made her way as quickly as she could down the hall. Though she knew it was unlikely, she really didn't want to absorb one of the others, though it may give her the information she wanted.

Half an hour later found her carefully making her way to the main room, the red shirt she wore loosely bouncing. Her dark grey sweatpants brushed the floor silently. Rounding the corner into the kitchen, she rolled her long sleeves away from her hands. Though the shirt was comfortable, she much preferred gloves and silently wondered what had become of the black ones she had become so fond of.

"I don't think that's the best idea." Her ears perked up and she softly made her way over to the wall, pressing her ear against the hard surface.

"And why not? If it were Remy, he'd want it quick and clean. Like ripping a knife out." Marie rolled her eyes, somehow not surprised at his analogy.

"Delicate situations call for delicate handling of said situations. You can't just tell her something like this and expect her not to react badly."

"She's going to react badly any way you put it. Remy hate to tell you girl but getting left to die isn't something people take well. What are you going to say?" he sounded aggravated, and if she could see him at the moment, Marie would bet he'd he pacing. "Hey there Marie, yah the reason we ain't at the mansion, why I helped you and not your professor, and why we're stuck in a glorified hold in the sand is because your friends wrote you off for dead and left us. Oh but it's okay because I'm sure they didn't think about it. They still care about you, I'm sure of it. They just left us here to die but I'm sure they'll be back…."

Marie gasped involuntarily, the pain like a knife in the back. Her knees gave out and she felt her eyes pooling with moisture. She had been right. Despite the assurances of her psychics, she had been abandoned.

_*No, no Rogue we wouldn't leave you no matter what. There has got to be some mistake.* _

_*Kid you know us better than that. The swamp rat's got it wrong.*_

"Marie?" Remy's voice filtered through to her. She felt herself being lifted and his strong arms wrapped around her. Evelyn was there too, her lips moving but what she was saying she didn't know. They went to her bedroom and Remy put her down, letting her sit on the edge of the bed. She instinctually curled away from him as he sat beside her and took her hand in his.

"Remy sorry _chere,_ he didn't know you were there. He shouldn't have done that."

"They just left?" she whispered, and Evelyn shook her head.

"They thought you were dead. I'm sure when they find out that you're not they'll come get us." She sounded as if she was trying to convince herself.

"They just left me….." she whispered, and broke, curling into Remy and, for the moment, let herself be comforted.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The sand whipped across her skin, stinging the sensitive skin exposed to the dawn light. In the distance, the blue blur of the soldiers' uniforms marred the base of the sphinx. The safe house, with its plush cushions and silken tapestries hidden under the grimy surface, had quickly become cramped. Being underground was nerve wracking for the young mutants. Sunlight had become a fond memory.

So here Marie sat, her legs tucked underneath her in an attempt to find a comfortable position. Her hair hung in ringlets, the straight auburn banished by the Egyptian heat. Traces of the make-up she had worn like a shield not so long ago had vanished. She swiped a hand across her forehead, attempting to clear away the moisture.

_*Damn it's hot out here.* _Pietro complained.

_*Well at least it's a dry heat.* _Kitty piped up optimistically.

"So is an oven." Marie whispered her thoughts elsewhere. It was still hard to accept, though that was what she had been told she needed to move on. Being left behind had been the wakeup call for her. Though she had always felt separate from the others, she simply attributed it to the nature of her powers. Part of that distance was her own fault, her holding everyone at arm's length was bound to have some consequences.

But it still hurt. Even if they thought she was dead, they should have tried to get her back. Evelyn and Remy were alive to the best of their knowledge. Yet they had been abandoned as well.

The reality that they really didn't want her had set in, yet she didn't feel the way she thought she would. There was no surprise, no denial. Perhaps it was due to the distance she had put between herself and them. Maybe she had always known they didn't really want her. Maybe they just took her into their ranks to keep an eye on her. So they would know who she was absorbing.

She should have known, seen the signs she so clearly saw now. They had never trusted her, not completely. She was a fool to think that people like them would accept her for what she was. She was different than them. The preppy young southern bell they wanted her to be was not who she was. She was the moody Goth girl with dark shadows and secrets trailing behind her. It took a special kind of person to accept things that they couldn't change.

It still hurt. She wished more than anything that they would come back. She wanted things to go back to the way they were. She wanted to wake up to Kitty and her stupid Justin Beiber music. She wanted to have to push her way through the hall on her way to breakfast. She wasted to just sit with Logan, because she could. She even wanted to go back to all those stupid danger room sessions at dawn. All she wanted was her old life back, because she had been happy.

A shadow rippled across the sand next to her and Remy sat next to her, his trench coat nowhere in sight. He looked tired.

"How you doing girl?" he looked her over, taking her measure.

"I'm fine." She drawled out tersely. She just wanted to be left alone. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Alright." He shrugged, obviously not wanting to push it and have her break down again. She was embarrassed enough as it was. She was the Rogue, she didn't cry.

"What do you want Remy?"

"Just the company of a beautiful _femme._"

"Then go find one." She snapped.

"Remy already has." she snorted.

"I'm not going to talk to you so go away."

"You're talking to me now. Remy think he likes the view here. And he ain't talking about the cat."

"If you want someone who's going to fall for you stupid pick-up lines you're going to want to keep looking. I'm not in the mood."

"Ah yes. I had a feeling you wouldn't be. Which is exactly why Remy's here."

"You like annoying people swamp rat?"

"Well yes, but he also don't like a pretty thing like you out here brooding on her own." He replied smoothly.

"I'm not your problem Gambit. Go away and leave me alone."

"You know you don't really want this handsome Cajun to leave."

"No I'm pretty sure I do."

"You don't want me to leave."

"I said leave me alone Remy." She hissed out, at the end of her rope.

"Remy heard what you said. But he knows you don't really mean it."

"Oh trust me I meant it."

"So you say."

"Remy if you don't leave me alone I swear to god I'll let Logan out and he can have a go at you. He doesn't need adimantium claws to dice you into teeny tiny cubes."

"Ah but if I was in pieces you'd miss me too much."

"I'd feed your remains to a crocodile."

"No need to be harsh." He raised his hands plaintively.

"No need to be obnoxious."

"It's not obnoxious; I prefer to think of it as determination."

"Well take your determination, your obnoxiousness and the rest of your tobacco scented self away from me."

"I think I'll stay."

"Then I'll leave." She hauled herself to her feet and stalked towards safe house again. Though she couldn't hear him, she could tell he was close behind her. It was kinda creepy how he didn't make any sound at all when he moved. She squeezed her eyes shut and picked up the pace, headed any direction that god damned Cajun wasn't. But like an annoying piece of gum on the bottom of her shoe, he stayed near her. _God I just want to be left alone. Is that really too much to ask?_

"Cajun I swear to god if you don't cut whatever invisible is line connecting you to me I'll drag you over to those nice boys in blue and make damn sure you are in a cage for a long time."

"Oh I like it. This time you can break me out." He teased. Marie threw her hands in the air and whirled around to face him, her features livid.

"You're a damn empathy Remy, so I know you know you're pissing me off. So let's cut the crap. What do you want?" she was in his face now, having unconsciously brought herself closer to see him better, despite their significant height difference. "And don't feed me some cheesy pick-up line or a play on words. I was left in the desert to die because my so called family decided I wasn't worth the trouble. Is it too much to ask to be left well enough alone so I can brood in peace? Yes, you've been a big help. Yes, you are being very gracious to let us use the safe house. And yes, normally I don't hate you. But right now I need to be left alone or I swear to god your eyeballs will finally become very well acquainted with the inside of your head." Her vision blurred around the edges, carrying a tint of red. She wanted to hit something, she wanted to break something, and she wanted to blow something into a million little tiny pieces.

Remy stepped back, his eyes wide and she staked towards the door again, slamming it behind her and taking random twists and turns into the dark.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Marie was very sexy when she was mad. Seriously, she was hot. Her face became flushed, bringing out the green in her eyes and coloring her usual pale complexion. She would snarl at him and reveal a stunning set of pearly white teeth. She'd clench her fists by her side, bringing her shoulders forwards to outline the defined bones he found oddly endearing.

"…But right now I need to be left alone or I swear to god your eyeballs will finally become very well acquainted with the inside of your head." She yelled in his face, and he couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't noticed how attractive she was before.

He looked to the side, his mind cutting off its musings and he instinctively stepped back. His eyes widened as his mind registered what was happening. The sand around her was glowing in a familiar magenta fire, burning with the intensity of an armed atomic bomb. She stalked forwards, brushing past him and slamming herself inside.

Immediately, Remy rushed forwards and ripped off his gloves, pressing both hands to the scarlet lighting on the ground. Pulling the charge into his body, he let out a breath and collapsed into the sand. The intensity of the energy he'd absorbed pulsed through his veins, almost at the point of exploding.

"What in the hell?" he blew out a breath, his voice catching a little, making him glad that no one was around to gear it. Marie had just charges the sand. She hadn't absorbed him, yet she still was able to use his powers. How the hell did that work?

_Well this is new._ Remy rolled lazily over onto his back and stared up at the sky. If Marie could somehow use the powers of people she had absorbed previously, that would open doors for her that would possibly lead to control over her mutation.

Of course he knew she retained the powers she had absorbed; the fight with Apocalypse had proven that much. But if she was able to use those powers without losing control or being controlled, she could very well be one of the most powerful mutants in the world.

He'd just have to see if he could make her do something like that again.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The stone was smooth, gleaming in the sunlight beneath the cherry tree that had been planted just the day before. Now, thanks to a few new tricks from Forge, it was fully grown and blooming. The corner of the garden it rested in was secluded enough that there wouldn't be a lot of visitors, yet those who wanted to go knew where to find it. _So much like Rogue. _

The face of a life sized angel peered upwards into the blooms, drinking in the sunlight and shimmering in the afternoon light. Her wings cascaded behind her and the folds of her gown rippled in a waterfall of marble. Her hair, somehow carved to illustrate the two different tones of its muse's distinctive locks, flowed down her back to mingle with the feathers sprouting from her shoulder blades.

Kitty sat on the stone bench, her head bowed before the form of her best friend as she saw her. An ivory colored angel It had been a week since she had heard of her friends' death, and she still didn't know how to handle it. Sometimes she would shut herself in her room for hours on end and cry on the other girls' bed. Sometimes she sat in the lab and used the computer to search for the girl, not really believing that her friend was dead. Occasionally she would sit in Rogues' window of the library and curl up with an old copy of Dracula, trying to find some connection to her roommate. But now, as most often happened, she was in the garden, sitting on the marble bench across from a newly dedicated memorial to the fallen girl.

She just couldn't believe she was dead. It didn't make sense. She had survived the sentinels, asteroid M, area 51, her powers going haywire, so many different missions with The X-Men. But now, in her prime, her luck had run out and she was buried in the sand.

Kurt was taking the news badly, almost as badly as Kitty. Without her body here, he refused to believe she was gone. Though Scott and Jean, Logan, even the professor had told him time and time again what had happened. _She's too young to die now._ He would say, _you must have made some mistake. _

Jean and Scott had explained as a pair what had happened, with the rest of the Egyptian team members filling in the blanks where they could. Rogue had taken the blackbird to the sphinx with a boy named Remy and a blonde telepath. She absorbed Apocalypse to stop him from killing them straight off. She had become possessed by En Saba Nur, much the same as when she lost control. She had mangled Pete; Kitty had seen the damage herself. They said she had almost killed them, but she took control back and sacrificed herself for them. Professor Xavier said how her mind was completely decimated, how no one could have survived that kind of damage. That it was impossible she was alive.

But Kitty couldn't force herself to accept it. It didn't compute. Her mind knew she had to be gone. If there was even a chance that Rogue and her friends had been alive, they wouldn't have given up on her. But they left, and that meant they were gone.

Her breath caught in her throat again and she stared into the eyes of the angel before her.

"Rogue..." she brushed her fingers across the statues face, wishing she could just talk to her friend one more time. "There's so much I like, wanted to tell you." Oh how she wished she could have said goodbye. "Things will never be the same without you." She blinked her eyes to clear the tears gathering. "You were my best friend." She grasped its hand, remembering all the times she has wished she could do the same for the real thing.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Professor Xavier sat in his office, staring out the window at the setting pink sun as it lowered over the horizon. His hands were splayed over his lap, the blanket he had gotten from Rogue for Christmas the previous year.

He had picked up on Kitty's thoughts and try as he may, couldn't help but hear her. The sadness she had felt since she learn what had happened mirrored the tone of many others in the mansion as well as his own. He had played the scene over and over in his head almost constantly since they left Egypt. He kept looking for holes, different routes, any other solution that would have changed the outcome. He had yet to find a way to save Rogue and her friends. Any way he played it, she died and they lost Remy and the blonde.

But he still felt guilty, extremely so. He hadn't been able to protect one of his children. He had acted foolishly, thinking he could stop Apocalypse and as a result she had left the safe haven he had so meticulously created. The mansion, with its vast hallways and protective walls had ceased to be home for their Rogue. He had become a part of that which destroyed her, if only for a brief period in time.

He bowed his head, squeezing his eyes shut and for the moment, the world's most powerful telepath allowed himself to give in to his grief.

**Yay I finished. Onto the review responses. **

**GazerBlitz: thank you for reviewing keep it up ;)**

**Plastic Emotion: I quite agree.**

**Rogueslove22: thank you again. I actually had a dream about the shack and was like "Whoa that'd be remyish!"**

**princess Apollo: thank you for reviewing. It's always nice to hear from people. **

**Chellerbelle: thanks for the tip and compliment. I try to use correct grammar but let's face it I'm not all that great with it. Lol. I've been working a lot harder on the last chapters. Thanks for reviewing. its highly appreciated.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Alright everybody I just want to remind you that there are a lot of sick people out there. You never think it's going to happen to you until it does. The stuff on the news is not exclusive to other people. It can happen to anyone, anywhere.**

"Fold the arms in, then in half, then in thirds." A set of shaky pale hands gently places a long-sleeved black cardigan into the storage box on the floor and reached for another article of clothing from the dresser. Around the room, boxes were scattered in various stages of full. The wallpaper had been torn from the walls and lay tattered on the floor. Tape residue clung to the walls like sap on a tree.

"Kitty?" the door creaked open and a furry blue head poked through the door. "Oh Kitty I know." He vanished in a cloud of smoke and was instantly at his friends' side, taking her sobbing body in his arms. "It'll be alright Kitty. I miss her too." He took the green tank top from her hands and smoothed it against the bed spread.

"I-I can't to it. I-I just c-can't." she sobbed, her voice breaking his already shattered heart all over again. She curled into him and sobbed violently into his shirt while he stroked her back soothingly.

"It's alright Kitty. You don't have to do this alone. I'm here for you." He crooned to the girl waiting for her gut wrenching sobs to turn to sniffles. She pulled away, embarrassed and he smiled gently, and then sobered as he looked around the room.

"I need to finish. She'd have wanted us to do it." She said quietly, following his eyes around the room. He nodded and reached into the drawer to retrieve another of his sisters' shirts. "What are you doing?"

"You don't need to do this alone." He placed the now folded shirt into the box and began on another. Kitty studied him for a moment, then followed his lead and began packing again.

She really was going to miss this room. This was the place she and Rogue had spent hours talking about everything from music to men. Where her friend had comforted her and given her advice about how to handle the others when it came to her boyfriend. This place held so many memories; each part of this room had a special place in her heart.

"Are you excited?" Kurt asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"About what?" Was there really anything to be excited about anymore?

"Moving in with Rahne."

"Oh, well I guess. It won't be the same." She sighed. "Nothing could ever be the same."

"Yah." He sighed and they lapsed back into silence. Boxes were filled, sealed and labeled with a name. They would later be distributed to those who had received them. Everyone had gotten something, be it small or large. Rogue had touched so many lives, and her generosity and kindness hadn't stopped at death.

"I can't believe she did this." Kurt whispered as he sealed a box marked "Sam". He eyed the paper the professor had given Kitty when she volunteered for the job.

"Did you know she left a will?" Kurt shook his head and she blinked back tears again. If only her roommate had been able to show her affection while she was here.

"She didn't want you to know." They looked up at the professor as he turned into the doorway. "It was a last resort." He looked around and closed his eyes mournfully. "She never intended it to be used."

"It shouldn't have been needed." Kurt whispered and the aging mutant nodded.

"I couldn't agree more." He looked as if he was going to say something else, but stopped himself as a blank look crossed his face.

"Professor are you-"

"I must go meet Scott and Logan at the front. Miss. Lee has arrived."

"When is Rahne coming in again?"

"She will arrive late tomorrow after you have moved in." Shadowcat nodded and the professor quietly closed the door behind him.

"This is the last of it." Kurt said a while later as he sealed the box with packing tape and set it in the "Kitty" pile.

"Alright, we should probably tell Roberto and Bobby they can start moving it all where it goes." Kitty picked the pillow up off her friend's bed and hugged it to her chest. "I think I'm going to go."

"Would you like some company?" Kitty shook her head.

"I just wanna be alone." And with that, she phased through the floor and left Kurt staring out the window.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"What you doing _chere_?"

"Tap dancing." Marie glanced at him, and rolled her eyes before turning back to her notepad and taking the pen cap out of her mouth.

"Ah Remy likes a woman of the arts." He plopped down on the sofa and rested his heels on the coffee table. "What you writing?"

"Who made it your business what I do?"

"Remy makes it his business to keep an eye on a_belle femme_**.**"

"Well go find one."

"Ah but we been through this _chere._ Remy don't need to go looking when there's one sitting right here."

Marie scoffed and closed her pad, setting it on the table next to her chair. Remy scooted closer to her and smirked a little at the emotions he was reading from her. He shuffled towards her again and again, she backed away. Then an idea formed and he crept continually closer, causing her to back further and further away from him.

She jumped a bit as her back collided with the arm rest and looked up at him, her eyes a mixture of confusion and worry as he leaned over her.

"What the hell are you doing swamp rat?" she hissed and squeaked when he slipped his arms around her back and his fingers wound their way into her hair. Remy closed his eyes and concentrated on the emotions he drew from her. She was scared, very confused, trapped and worried. But there was something else there. A small part of her wanted him to get closer to her. Granted it was a very small part but it was there. She wanted to be able to be this close to someone without fear of hurting them.

He opened his eyes again and stared into the emerald colored pools that she called eyes. They really were quite spectacular. You could almost stare into her eyes forever, swim in their endless shimmering depths. She stared back at him, slowly becoming relaxed beneath his grip.

Remy shifted her in his arms and brought her steadily closer to himself. Instantly she tensed and her eyes darted back and forth looking for some sort of escape. He pressed her legs down with his knees, barring her attempt to knee him. She struggled against his grip, looking for any bit of exposed flesh that she would need to avoid.

"Hold very still." He whispered into her ear, his breath sending shivers down her neck and her emotions to a spike. But she did as he asked, and he could feel her trying to push the feelings back. He leaned into her, his lips hovering just above hers, his eyes never leaving hers.

She felt cornered, like a deer in the headlights, blind to everything. Remy knew this. But he wanted to see if this would work.

His arms tingled and he snapped himself out of his daze as Marie fell through his arms. She phased through the couch and into the ground. Her eyes widened incredibly and she placed her hands against the floor to gain enough balance to stop herself from slipping all the way into the ground. Pulling herself up, she stood quickly and bolted from the room.

Remy watched her go, a mixture of self-loathing and pride swelling in his throat.

"Well," he whispered, "Now we know how to make her use her powers." And stood, heading off to his room to try to figure out why he felt guilty over a girl.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Kitty hugged the pillow to her chest and let the tears drip into its soft feathers. So many things had happened over the last, god it had been almost three weeks since she had seen Rogue. Almost a week and a half since they had "Buried" her. Things had changed so fast.

The pillow clunked against the wall, dropping to the floor. Kitty screeched in frustration and planted her face in the comforter of her bed, releasing another scream into the fabric.

"Kitty, are you alright?" Scott sounded worried. The knob jiggled, and Kitty sat rolled her eyes, lifting her head just enough to get out a few muffled words. "What? I can't understand you."

"I said go away." She snapped at the closed door, glaring at it as if she could incinerate the annoyance on the other side. Footsteps padded down the hallway away from her door and she dropped her head back into the pillow.

"Ouch." There was something hard in the pillow. How had she not noticed this before? Phasing her hand into the plush capsule she felt around, looking for the source. Feeling her hand connect with something, she grabbed hold and pulled it out.

A little book bound in black leather and engraved with an intricate web of vines. In the center, the insignia of the X-Men shone through the thorns. About the size of a normal hard cover book, it shone dully in the light and she could tell it had been well taken care of.

"What is this?" Kitty murmured, running her fingers along the rivets. Opening the cover, she felt a wave of curiosity clash with an obligation to give Rogue her privacy. The Goth had obviously not wanted the book to be found, but she wasn't here. "I'll just like, see what it is."

The inside cover was filled with sayings, both positive and negative. Song lyrics and poem stanzas mingled with doodles and minuscule sketches.

"Frozen in time," Kitty whispered, her eyes following the flow of the song. "Without your touch, without your love darling. Only you are the life among the dead." She recognized the lyrics from one of those sad songs Rogue always blasted into her ears from her headphones.

"_How can that music make you smile like that when it sounds so depressing?" Rogue looked at her, her eyebrows crinkling and she pulled the headphones out of her ears. _

"_What?"_

"_I said like how can you listen to depressing music like that? It's like, totally bad for your self-esteem and the outlook you have on the world around you." She said matter-of-factly. _

"_Where did you hear that, one of your stupid teen magazines?" Kitty shook her head, even though they both knew that's exactly where she heard it._

"_No I just know it."_

"_Well how can you listen to all that happy stuff? It's annoying."_

"_Like, I'm a positive person. But that's beside the point. That music is so depressing, but you're like smiling. How can you do that?" honestly, she really was just curious. _

_A sad light came into her friends green eyes and she almost regretted asking. Then she turned back to her iPod and turned the volume from blasting to a dull roar. Kitty looked at the ear bud being held out to her warily. Rogue smiled slightly. "Come on. Just listen for a minute. You'll get it." _

_Kitty took the bud and Rogue pressed play. Immediately, voices wailed through the wires and Kitty flinched at the intensity. "Why did you want me to hear this- this," Kitty trailed off, looking for a word that would describe the so called music without offending Rogue._

"_Just listen to the lyrics." She said quietly enough that Kitty listened. So she listened, just listened. _

"_Frozen in time," the singer wailed after a man with a creepy voice finished screaming about how he had lived a lie and his body had become an empty shell. "Without your touch, without your love darling." Kitty looked at Rogue, startled to see a small smirk gracing her lips. "Only you are the life among the dead." _

_She paused the music and Kitty placed the ear bud back into her friend's gloved hand. She didn't know what to say. What do you say to something like that? _

_Rogue smiled at her friend and shrugged. "It's ironic mostly. But I guess it makes me feel like someone out there understands." Kitty swallowed. "Close your mouth girl, you'll get flies in." she laughed softly. _

After that, she had never asked about her music. But she listened through the headphones at night when Rogue fell asleep with her music on. Even the country songs she had were depressing. Maybe Taylor Swift did have a dark side after all.

Next to the lyrics, she had drawn a picture of a boy, and with a start Kitty realized it was Scott. The details were amazing, especially considering how small the sketch really was. There were similar pictures all over the inside cover.

A picture of Kurt smiled up at her next to the quote: "God smiles on my little brother, inside and out he's better than I am."

Logan, an apple clinging to the end of his claws and a smirk on his face, was surrounded by the words: "I have an excellent father; his strength is making me stronger."

Kitty smiled, looking at a drawing of herself. She was smiling, flashing the peace sign towards an invisible camera. Around her, in an elegant font, were her own set of lyrics. "Beautiful, wonderful, perfect all American girl."

Every picture had a lyric to accompany it. Every person and the words Rogue had chosen to represent them meshed together like they were written for each other. She had really put a lot of thought into these first pages.

"So it's a sketchbook." Kitty sighed, and turned to the first actual page. "Or not."

Rogues handwriting filled the page and almost everyone after that. The front cover was the only place with anything other than words. With a start, Kitty realized this was Rogue's journal. Immediately she snapped the book shut, dropping it onto the bed like it had bit her.

"Kitty, Rahne is here." Jamie called from the other side of her door.

"Alright I'll be there in a minute." She yelled, listening to Jamie skip back down the hall. She bolted to the dresser and shoved the journal into her undergarment drawer. She'd need to find a better hiding place for it later, but she was out of time.

"Kitty come on." Tabitha banged on her door as she ran past.

"I'm coming." She yelled again and phased out the door.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

For the next few days, Marie avoided Remy at all costs. Although she would have liked to think she was talented enough to avoid him, she knew that if he had wanted to talk to her or find her he would have. It wouldn't be hard to do. Since the almost kiss, she had practically locked herself in her room. She didn't take the "cower and hide from your fears" approach. Normally, she would go ramping through the compound and strike fear into that stupid cocky Cajun asshole. But of course this was different.

How did she phase through the couch? She had talked to Kitty and she swore she had nothing to do with it. For the last week, she had been trying everything to do it again. she tried meditations the professor had suggested before she left, envisioning the first time it had happened and going with that, even handcuffing herself to the head board and throwing the key across the room so she would have to phase herself through the metal to get free. Of course none of it worked and she just ended up having to let Remy take control for a minute to pick the lock so she could go eat.

"_Relax child, you are simply overthinking this." Storm soothed._

"_Overthinking this?" _Marie sighed. "_I don't know what to do."_

She growled, slamming her fist into the wall in frustration. She was so damn close. She finally had a break. A hint to finally getting control over her powers, and she couldn't figure out what happened.

Maybe it was just a slip-up. Maybe her powers had some sort of a hiccup. What if it was a one-time thing? With her luck some fallen angel was standing just out of her reach laughing at her.

"_Come on Rogue, don't think like that." Jean murmured in her ear. "When I was learning to control my powers, I had so many slip ups and road blocks…"_

"_Jean your powers are different. You could have a normal life more or less while you were learning."_

"_You can do whatever you want to if you set your mind on it."_

"_Scott that's easier said than done." _

"_What one eye is trying to say is that you're smart. You'll figure this out." Logan interjected._

"Yah sure." She said out loud, quieting the voices. She sighed, slipping her ear buds into her ears and walking into the hall. Almost immediately, she lost herself in the lyrics she heard. Why was it that when she pressed shuffle, the song that came up next almost immediately matched her mood. This was as newer song, part of the playlist that she had hidden away from everyone else. A kind of guilty pleasure.

Mostly filled with country songs, it helped her keep in touch with her roots. Back home, this is the music she had been raised with. In Caldecott, there was no hip-hop or rap music. Babies were rocked in their cradles to the crying of a steel guitar. The tunes that drifted from the radios were filled with the beat of a drum, words about real life and people telling things how they really were. You never really needed to listen to anything else when you had music you could relate to.

As she walked down the hall she found herself stepping in time with the beat of the music, her mouth automatically forming the words of the song.

_Little miss done on love_

_Little miss, I give up_

_Little miss, I'll get tough, don't you worry about me anymore_

_Little miss checkered dress_

_Little miss, one big mess_

_Little miss, I'll take less when I always give so much more_

She hummed to herself, turning the corner into the kitchen and heading straight to the fridge to rummage.

_It's alright, it's alright, it's alright_

_Yeah, sometimes you gotta lose 'til you win_

_It's alright, it's alright, it's alright_

_It'll be alright again_

_It'll be alright again, I'm okay_

_It'll be alright again, I'm okay (I'm okay)_

_It'll be alright again, I'm okay_

She closed the door and reached under the island to retrieve two large skillets before turning to survey the food on the counters. One by one bread, cheese, thinly sliced chicken and a tomato all found their way onto the counter and she smiled.

_Little miss, do your best_

_Little miss, never rest_

_Little miss, be my guest, I'll make more anytime that it runs out_

_Little miss, you'll go far_

_Little miss, hide your scars_

_Little miss, who you are is so much more than you like to talk about_

She turned the stove on and reached around into the cabinet, pulling out some seasonings and dusting them over the chicken. The tomato was next, slicing smoothly as Marie guided the knife through towards the cutting board.

_It's alright, it's alright, it's alright_

_Yeah, sometimes you gotta lose 'til you win_

_It's alright, it's alright, it's alright_

_It'll be alright again_

_It'll be alright again, I'm okay_

_It'll be alright again, I'm okay (I'm okay)_

_It'll be alright again, I'm okay_

"Ah that's it." She murmured when the chicken sizzled against the cast iron. The smell of spices wafted through the kitchen and she couldn't help but shiver in delight as she began buttering the bread.

_Hold on_

_Hold on, you are loved_

_Are loved..._

Back at the mansion, she could never cook like this. The smells would make their way through the school and soon the kitchen would be filled with new mutants bugging her to make one their way. It had been bad enough when it had just been the original six.

_Little miss, brand new start_

_Little miss, do your part_

_Little miss, big old heart beats wide open and she's ready now for love_

The garlic went into the pan next and Marie poured a bit of olive oil in and flipped the meat. Oh how she'd missed this kind of thing. Just listening to her music while spices and heat mingled in the air around her. The empty space where she could just dance to her own beat and not have to worry about someone walking in and ruining the moment. Evelyn and Remy were already in bed, their rooms far enough away that she didn't have to worry about them smelling anything. Who would be up at four in the morning? Besides herself of course.

_It's alright, it's alright, it's alright_

_Yeah, sometimes you gotta lose 'til you win_

_It's alright, it's alright, it's alright_

_It'll be alright again_

_It'll be alright again, I'm okay_

_It'll be alright again, I'm okay (I'm okay, it'll be alright again)_

_I'm okay! (It'll be alright again) _

Her worries slipped away as she slipped the cheese and tomato onto the bread and laid the chicken on top. Into the oven they went and the timer was set to go off when it was ready. She twirled around, lost in the moment of freedom she had so desperately needed. Maybe she was acting like Kitty, maybe she was just overly stressed and had cracked under pressure but she couldn't bring herself to care. For just a moment she didn't have a care in the world.

**I'm sorry it took me so long to update. I've had some stuff happening and I wasn't really in the mood to write. But I'm alright, kinda, so now it's back to the story.**

**So do you think Kitty's gonna read it? Maybe….**

**Personally I think Rogue is in character? What do you think? I think she'd want to keep in touch with her roots because that's how we southerners are raised. And no, I don't think she would hate country music. If you grow up with it like everyone in my town did, you can't hate it its part of your childhood. I like other stuff too but I see Rogue as a person who wants to be happy but won't let herself for fear of getting to close to someone and hurting them. As much as she acts like it, she really does think the world of her friends. What do you think, is she out of character? Is anyone out of character? And come on ladies (and some guys) lets be real, when nobody is around and you're in a bad moon and your listening to music, you dance a little bit too. **

**Alright so the songs for this chapter (Quotes included)**

**First Quote (The one with Scott's picture): Bring Me to Life – Evanescence**

**Kurt and Logan's Picture Quotes: Best Day – Taylor Swift**

**Kitty's picture quote: All American Girl- Carrie Underwood**

**Kitchen Song: Little Miss – Sugarland **

**Now I highly suggest you check these songs out. Seriously they are great.**

**Oh and a friend of mine had an idea, and said that I should do artwork for this fic, but since I have so artistic ability to speak of would anyone be interested? Just an idea I think would be cool to see where it's going.**

**Review responses:**

**DarkSudi: ****here's your update. Sorry it took so long.**

**Rogueslove22****: oh I can promise that if I do (I haven't decided yet) it will be very dramatic and probably have some sort of music tied into it (Because I think music is very important and inspires me a lot.)**

**Thrill-Pair-All-The-Way: ****I happen to agree, ROMY is the best, or at least up there.**

**Vivi LeBeau****: thank you, you really have no idea how much that makes my day. **

**roguelover321:**** yes, ha on them indeed. *smirks and rubs her hands* they may be in for a bit of a shock.**

**princess apollo: ****camp was great thank you for asking, I really had a great time and met some amazing people. Thank you for your praise and I'm simply ecstatic that you like this story because sometimes I have my doubts about it. **

**Chellerbelle: ****thank you! I love your stories and coming from someone who is a very good writer make me grin **

**Next chapter: Remy has a few ideas for Marie and Kitty fights temptation when questions about Rogue and what goes on in her mind arise. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Alright guys, I may not be posting for a little while, I have band camp for the next three weeks and then school starts with morning and afternoon practices, then games on Friday nights. I will still be working on this story but may be a bit late. Sorry.**

His breath heaved in his chest.

He's eyes burned in the pouring rain.

He had to find her.

He had to see her.

The mystery woman, his eyes darted ahead, catching a glimpse of the white dress as she darted around a corner. Encouraged, he forced his legs to move faster. There she was, oh she was beautiful, and though her back was to him she still took his breath away. Who she was he didn't know. He knew what she looked like only from the glimpses he'd managed to get as she ran ahead of him.

She must be some sort of angel. Perhaps her silken dress concealed her wings. Her face must be beautiful. He didn't know what the front of her looked like, but she must be beautiful. The way her body moved as she weaved between trees and through the curtain of vines, it was as if she walked on air. She seemed to float down her path, riding the winds.

He hurtled tree stump and the pull he felt towards her intensified slightly. The closer he got, the more he wanted to wrap this mystery woman in his arms and hold her. The way she moved told him she had suffered so much. She hid it well, but he was trained for this kind of thing. The dark places he knew she had just made his want to meet her even more.

Why did he feel this way? He didn't know who this woman was, this siren that called him to her like a moth to a flame. He was the Cajun Casanova, who took woman into his grasp and let them go just as quickly. Why did he feel as if this was all just a fantasy?

He pushed himself to his limits, running with the speed of a cheetah towards his prey. His hand reached out on its own and grasped her arm. The white skin shine like a million diamonds and he marveled at its softness as they came to a stop. He turned her to him slowly, running his hands up her arms. She shivered and seemed to shrink in on herself, as if she didn't like to be touched.

He kissed her fingertips. Finally, he would get to see who she was. A sense of anticipation filled him and he cupped her face in his hands, still not looking at her face. He brought her face closer towards his own and slowly brought his eyes up to look at her.

"Remy het your Cajun ass up now." Marie banged on the door. Remy groaned and shoved his head underneath the pillow.

"Go away." He grumbled, ignoring the odd fact that she was talking to him for the first time in a week. He was too tired. He wanted to go back to sleep and see who the mystery woman was. `The last few nights had been tortuous, trying to catch her and always waking up at the wrong moment.

"Get your ass out here or I'll come in there and stretch your tongue out then shove it where the sun don't shine." She rapped on the door again, as if seconding the statement. He really didn't think she could break it. He could just engage the sound proofing and go back to sleep.

She banged again and he cursed, picking himself up, dragging on some pants and flinging open the door.

"What?" he snapped, annoyance seeping into his voice a little more than he would have liked. She jumped a bit, and then blushed furiously, her eyes looking everywhere but at him.

"I-I um…..could you h-help with…I mean." she stammered, looking at the floor. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "What I mean is c-can we talk."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Well at least she was talking to him again.

"Yah sure." He reached for her wrist, pulling her into the room before she could protest. She made a sound close to that of a cat with its tail under someone's shoe and he had to smirk. He sat on his bead and she scooted away again, as if she was afraid he'd try to kiss her again.

He shifted, trying to make her a little bit more comfortable. He was raised to be a gentleman, even if sometimes he slipped up. Alright more than sometimes.

"What you wanna talk about _belle?_" he leaned back against the headboard, crossing his ankles. "Or do you wanna do more than talk? This Cajun would be up for anything."

There was that blush again. Huh, maybe she'd been more shaken up by the kiss then he'd thought. She looked at the ceiling. She'd never reacted like this when he flirted with her before. Her eyes flicked to him, lingering only a moment on his chest.

He sat up and reached for her, pulling her to him and she stiffened. He looked down at her, smirking when he understood. Her neck strained away from him, putting as much distance between her face and the bare skin of his chest. Her gloves were pressed between their bodies, palms flat against him. He thought about putting a shirt on, and then dismissed it when she began to bite her lip.

"What's the matter _Chere_? You've seen me without a shirt on before." He leaned towards her, smiling devilishly.

"Why do you insist on doing that?" she pulled away, as he'd expected her to.

"Do what?" he batted his eyes, giving her that innocent look he never could quite pull off.

"Y-you know." She stammered again and he didn't bother to stop the smirk. "That."

"What? Be so roguishly handsome? So debonair? There is any number of words that would describe Remy."

"Yah I could think of a few." She muttered, and then took a deep breath. "I need your help."

"Well you've come to the right place. Remy always willing to help a _jolie femme_."

"Don't get cutie with me Cajun."

"Remy ain't cutie _chere. _He's hot, he's sexy, he's a damn good thief. Disney characters are cutie. Remy's not."

"Whatever."

"You know Remy beginning to think you like him."

"Yah right."

"Playing hard to get are we?"

"You wish. Can we please get back to why I'm here? " she glared at him, her bangs falling into her face and hiding her eyes.

"But of course. How may this Cajun help you?"

"I want to control my powers." Ah there it was. Her eyes flicked to her gloved hand automatically.

"Yes Remy can see why."

"Can you help me?"

"Perhaps."

"You know something." She accused.

"Remy don't know anything. He has a theory, but he doesn't know."

"Well," she said slowly, trying to keep her frustration down. "Would you perhaps share?"

"Remy might. For a price."

"Name it." She said instantly, and then looked startled when she realized she'd said anything.

He shouldn't have been surprised. He knew she wanted this more than anything. He could demand anything now. He could use this against her forever if he really wanted to.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes." She said, looking like she wasn't sure if she should. "Lord help me I do."

"Alright, let's get started."

"T-that's it?" she stared at him, her emerald orbs wide.

"What did you expect?" he could have demanded anything. But that wouldn't have been right. "Now Remy have this theory…"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Alright X-Men, your assignment is simple. Just get all of you to the other side of the course without being spotted."

"Alright." Kurt smiled. "This is gonna be easy."

"Without using your powers." Logan finished. The four teens groaned.

"Uh Mr. Logan, like how are we supposed to do that?"

"However you can." The intercom switched off and the scene around them swirled into something they had seen before. The skyscrapers of downtown rose in the distance, industrial building surrounding them.

"Bad memories dude." Kurt groaned. The floor opened and three gleaming red robots hummed as they powered up.

"Go." The monotone voice announced and they took off. Scott leapt over the blast fired by the first sentinel and forged ahead.

An hour later, all stumbled into the command center, their breathing barely wheezing out.

"Nice work. Took you a little longer than was expected. Never the less, you did well for your first time."

"That was so horrible." Kitty caught herself on a whine. "Why did we have to do that?"

"You need to be able to work well as a team to get things done. You may not always have your powers. Or your powers may be of no help to you. It's happened before."

"What do you mean? We've always had our powers." Kurt cocked his head to the side like he did when he was confused."

"True, but they don't always help you. They can be used against you." He looked down, and Kitty knew he was thinking of Rogue. "Or maybe you don't want people to know you're a mutant. When this happens, you'll need to be able to take down your enemies without using your gifts."

They nodded and Logan left the room.

"I don't know how Rogue did it." Scott said after a while.

"I wish I knew how she did it." Jean sighed.

"What I wouldn't give to have a look inside her head." Kurt agreed.

"Yah…" Kitty agreed half- heartedly, nobody noticing the tantalizing look she cast the door.

0-0-0-0-0-0

It taunted her. The little black book taunted her. It was just lying on her bed, staring back at her as if to say "Read me. You know you want to." For days she'd resisted temptation, saying it wasn't her right to read it. They were Rogues private thoughts. It wasn't meant to be seen by anyone, which was perfectly clear.

"It'd be breaking her trust." Kitty murmured to herself. "You'll only regret it." It was like those two lines were her mantra, keeping her from something she both wanted greatly, and didn't want immensely.

She stared at it, the words from earlier today playing in the back of her mind like a subliminal message. Funny how so few words, words meant so casually, could taunt her so. They had simply voiced the thoughts she'd already had but never dared to say, or even allowed herself to think.

She could know what went on inside her friends head. All those times she'd asked what was wrong and was met with a blank stare. She could know what had troubled her. She could know how she coped with her powers, something she'd always puzzled over. Whatever was in that book could help her understand her friend. The friend she'd loved with all her heart yet had known so little about.

The more she thought about it, the more she longed crack open the book and take a peek_. Maybe just the first page,_ she thought _if it's too personal, I'll stop. I'll give it to the professor and make sure he never lets me see it again._

That seemed reasonable enough. With that thought, she reached over and opened the book.

0-0-0-0-0-0

_Dear hole in the ground (because that's where this is going when I'm done with it)_

_I read online that writing down your thoughts helps clear your mind. Now I'm pretty sure that statement wasn't aimed towards mutants but I think it's worth a shot. Not that I'd ever tell anyone else that. I swear to god if Bobby or one of the new mutants finds this I will inflict unspeakable harm on them. Hear that? If you're reading this I will tie your tongue into a square knot and stretch it to your knees. _

_Alright now that that's out of the way I'll get to the reason I need to clear my head. See this book is going to be my autobiography of sorts. I will write in it as if I'm explaining the things I feel to another person. As if I'm not going to be the only one reading this. Maybe then I'll be able to think things through._

_So I hear voices in my head. Alright hold on. Let's back up a minute, first let's talk about my powers. I absorb the essence of a person through skin to skin contact. Their thoughts, their memories, energy, power, everything about them flows from them into me, leaving them tired or unconscious depending on how long the contact was. _

_My mind makes little copies of them; I call it a psyche, and places them inside my head. In my head, I have this little realm called my mindscape. Everyone has the capability for one, but most lack the necessary components to develop one. Mine is a forest, with mountains and hills. There's a clearing in the forest and in the center of the clearing is a lake. Weird right? I've got a national forest in my brain. _

_This mindscape is where the psychics live. Little copies of every person I've ever absorbed all live together in that little space. And they don't always get along. They start arguing, and ranting at each other. Makes it very hard to concentrate. _

_Oh and did I mention that I can't control it? Yah that's right. Everyone I come into skin contact with gets filed away in my head, whether it's on purpose or not. Sucks huh? So I cover up, head to toe in clothing. Long sleeves, gloves, boots, jeans. Do you have any idea how hot it gets? No, no you do not._

_Because of the nature of my powers, I don't get along with people very well. Granted half of the distance is my fault. People, by nature feel the need to touch one another. It's not just couples, its everyone. Most people take advantage of it. They don't even realize it. Do you know how many times the average person has physical contact with another person? On average about once every two minutes. And that's not even people who are in a relationship. But because of the instinct humans have, I have to separate myself from most everyone to avoid any unintentional contact. _

_But people are afraid of me. Even my friends at the institute are. Of course none of them would ever admit it but it's completely true. Let's rewind a bit and I'll explain the institute. See a telepath named Charles Xavier started a school a while back. It's called the Xavier institute for gifted youngsters. This place appears to be a boarding school for children with enhanced learning abilities. But it is really home to the X-Men, a group of mutant vigilantes. I am one of the X-Men, along with my friends. We are trained to use our powers for good and help the world understand that we aren't something to be feared. We are also taught a wide range of martial arts and science. Call it what you will but I think of it as a kind of superhero school. _

_Since the revelation of mutant kind a few years ago, the public in general has been hostile and even violent to us. Harassment at school, on the streets, everywhere we go. No matter what we do we can't escape it. At least I can't. It doesn't really help that my school principle hates mutants just like the rest of the world. Really you'd think people would get it through their heads. Most of us are not monsters, or demons. Were just a little different. _

_Logan is banging on the door at the moment. Gonna hide this thing before he gets aggravated and breaks it. _

0-0-0-0-0-0

Remy watched Marie leave his room, briefly wondering if he was actually helping her. What if he wasn't able to teach her? What if he was wrong? What if he was just getting her hopes up for nothing?

The bedside table began to beep, signaling an incoming call. His heart clenched. He already knew who it would be and he didn't know if he was relieved or petrified yet he reached for it.

"Henri?"

"Nope try again." a gruff voice on the other end said with a mixture of love and humor. He felt himself grinning.

"Jean-Luc. _Vous avez des nouvelles_?"

"_Bonjour_ to you to my son."

"papa." He protested and his father chuckled, and then cleared his throat.

"A decision has been made." Remy didn't like the grave tone in his voice.

"And?" he prompted.

"You're coming home."

**Alright so be honest, do you guys like Evelyn? I've never created a character before and I'm not sure how it's working. No I'm not going to kill her; she'll appear again next chapter. But I have some ideas and I want to know what you think of her before I act on any of them.**

**This chapter is a little short but I needed to redo it and I was so busy and school starts tomorrow….. Ugh. I'm disgusted with myself for not updating faster. But I'm trying. **

**Anyways onto the review responses…..**

**FruitCase****: thank you for reviewing! Your tips help me a lot! **

**ALLREMS: ****yes, I had to go make one when I was finished because it made me hungry. Remy would be watching her, but not this time. Lol thank you!**

**TheWritingGirl23:**** it certainly would have been interesting wouldn't it. I really wish they'd have continued the show, I miss it.**

**princess apollo****: thank you! Sorry it took so long.**

**Next chapter: time to hit the road again.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Alright I'm really sorry about the lateness of this chapter; I've had a lot going on this school year. I'll spare you the sob story but let's just say AP classes + Color guard +Family crap + Sick all the time = no time/I feel like crap/I have too much homework/ my head is too cluttered with other stuff to even think about Romy. So I apologize.**

"Now concentrate, focus on your breathing." Deep breath, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Breathe in the good energy, out the bad. Keep the mind blank; don't think about anything, anything at all.

"This is bull-shit Remy."

"Do you want this Cajuns help or not?"

"Fine."

"Good."

She breathed in again, letting the oxygen fill her from her head to her toes. Focus; concentrate on the flow of energy. Peace, quiet, tranquility. There is nothing that matters as much as this breath. Time does not exist, it is only this breath.

The plane jolted and she cursed. "I don't think this is going to work Remy."

"Which part?" he opened an eye and smirked. "The meditating or the meditating on a plane?"

"Both."

"You just need to give it a chance."

"I'd be willing to if we weren't on a plane." They were jostled again and she had to throw her arms out against the wall to keep from flying across the cabin.

"One of life's greatest assets is the ability to be able to focus despite your surroundings."

"Thanks sensei." She pulled herself up into a seat, leaning back and taking a long drink of herbal tea. "This is about as Zen as I get." She considered him.

"You don't strike me as the meditating type."

He sat next to and reached over, taking her cup off the tray and sipping. "Yah Remy said the same thing."

"What changed?"

His eyes took on a distant look. "Remy did _chere_." She got the feeling he didn't want to, and wouldn't expand on it so she let it go.

She rose, her eyes on the fridge and the frozen chocolate bars she knew to be housed inside. What she needed was some good old fashioned chocolate goodness. After all, what made the world go round? That's right, that little brown square wrapped in plastic. Hershey's, in her mind, could rake in some serious power if they stared rationing the stuff. Women everywhere would go biolistic, herself included of course.

The plane was jostled yet again and she yelped as she went flying back and into the waiting arms of a certain Cajun.

"Careful there." He chuckled, and she flushed. There was something about the way he held her that told her she was safe. She seemed to relax without even thinking about it, much to his surprise, though he didn't comment. Maybe they were finally making some progress.

"Ladies and gentleman please fasten your seatbelts, we are approaching Lewis Armstrong international airport. The weather is a comfortable seventy-two degrees and partly cloudy with a chance of showers her in the great city of New Orleans." The pilot's voice came over the speaker and Remy huffed at the interruption. "Please prepare for landing."

Marie stammered, blushing an even brighter shade of red as she made her way to her seat across the plane from his. But of course the private jet they were currently on was not all that large and didn't afford her nearly enough space as she'd have liked. And she still wanted the damn chocolate.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Logan, you're back." storm greeted the feral mas as he stumbled into the main foyer of the mansion. She paused, sniffing at the air and looked incredulously at the man. "Have you been drinking?"

"So? It'll wear off in a few minutes, ten tops." He slurred, already partially sober, much to his distaste.

"Logan that's not the point. You live in a school."

"They're all asleep calm down." Damn it why couldn't they make alcohol stronger?

"Logan." Storm snapped "You are not setting a good example for the students." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "If the children saw you now they'd-"

"They'd what? Take up drinking? Yah right, these kids aren't sheltered private school kids."

"Even so," she responded coolly, "they don't need to see you coming home like this. They may be aware of more than most their age ever should be, but we don't need to encourage this type of behavior. Especially in the faculty."

"Whatever Ro'."

"Logan what is troubling you?" Ororo placed a hand on his shoulder, concern making its way through the anger and into her voice. He brushed her off, clenching his fists at his sides as if holding onto his sanity. "You can tell me."

"I'm fine." He said through gritted teeth.

"Logan please, talk to me." She pressed, following him as he started up the stairs. "What's going on?"

"None of your business. Now leave me alone."

"Is it Rog-?"

"I said leave me alone! I don't press your shit so stay the hell away from mine." He snarled, turning his room and slamming the door in the white weather witches face.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Morning news." Logan snapped as he shuffled into the kitchen. Scott glanced at him, deciding from the look on his face that protest would be futile.

"Hello I'm Hayley Myers." An African American woman said on-screen.

"And I'm Trent Wilson. And this is New Eight at Six 'o'clock on this beautiful November evening. At the top of the headlines, a protest in Los Angeles turned violent last night after anti-mutant protesters opened fire on the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Taylor. The Taylors, who were exposed as mutants earlier this month, were not seriously injured. The names of the men responsible for the shootings have not yet been released."

Pictures of the bullet ridden house appeared on screen, along with family photos of a young couple, the Taylors. As far as looks went, these two were as alike as they could be. Both brown haired blue eyed Caucasians, they smiled into the camera with pearly white teeth. Matching pastel blue sweaters complimented their white accessories. They were a pretty couple.

Than the scene panned back to the reporters at their desks. The woman shuffled her papers and looked solemnly at the people on the other side of the screen. "Violence against those with the x-gene has escalated since the disappearance of the mysterious domes earlier this year. And although the exact cause of the domes is not known, the Egyptian government has said they will release any information when it becomes available."

Other topics were reported on and discussed for the majority of the broadcast, spent in silence, each person munching quietly. School was out for the week in observance of Veterans Day and most of the students had taken the opportunity to relax at the mansion, not deeming it a significant enough break to go home to their families. Students began filing out to fulfill their various daily goals as the world news came on.

"-And tonight on the CBS evening news, a new study has revealed anti-mutant sentiments to be at an all-time high. We take you live to New York where the Purifiers have teamed up with Friends of Humanity to protest the capital building. The senate is debating on the new Mutant Registration Bill, proposed by Senator Kelly an Independent from New York."

Videos of the protest, overlaid with Senator Kelly's voice. "We must ensure the safety of the normal population." He said. "This is a major issue. We need to know what these people can do. What's to stop them from just waltzing into a home, your home, and taking everything you have. These people are dangerous. Some of them can walk through walls for heaven's sake!" Kitty huffed and stuck her tongue out at the TV. "Without registration we may as well give them a free pass to do whatever they want!"There was applause.

"Mutants are a menace to our society! We need to know who they are and what they can do so we can defend ourselves!" one of the protesters said to the reporter.

"They don't belong here!"

"It's not natural!"

"If God meant people to fly, he'd have given all of us wings."

"Oughta be locked up and taken care of."

The TV flicked off and Scott slammed the remote down of the table. All eyes snapped to him and he took slow, deep breaths as if trying to calm himself. Holding up a hand as Jean stood, he sighed and looked up. "Nobody needs to see that." He said and stalked from the room.

"Jean?" Storm murmured. The red head nodded, already out the door and jogging after her leader. When she found him, he was pacing back and forth in front of the memorial.

"Scott?"

"They'll never know. Nobody will ever know. That's what kills me Jean." He to the statue, his face hard. "She died saving them, and they still hate us." He thumped down onto the bench. "What would she have thought if she saw all this? It's like she gave her life for nothing. People out there don't know how close they were to dying. She saved all of them, at the cost of herself." He kicked the dirt and sent a rock splashing into a puddle. "It's like it was for nothing."

Jean sat next to him and took him into her arms, her own thoughts mirroring his. "I think the same thing too sometimes. When I see what these people think, it tears me up inside. But I don't think it was for nothing, and I'm sure she wouldn't think so either. I know you miss her, so do I. but things have to get worse before they can get better. And who knows, maybe someday the world will be ready to know about her, and what she did. We all knew going in that things wouldn't change immediately." She sighed.

"Maybe." He ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe…"

0-0-0-0-0-0

The safe house Remy took them to was only about twenty miles from the actual guild seat. This one, a southern style plantation, was quite a step up from the glorified hole in the ground in god damn Egypt.

"This is much better." Marie murmured as she stepped through the thresh-hold. Her hair glistened in sun of the open patio and Remy couldn't help but catch his breath. She looked beautiful. _God damn it._

"Pick a room any room." He gestured widely around the hall, with its multiple doors and extensions. Than a thought occurred to him and he stopped. "Any rooms that are open."

"Why?" Marie teased lightly, "Hiding stolen property?"

"As a matter of fact," he smirked.

"Like?"

"Remy can't tell you that." He winked. "It'd ruin the illusion."

"What illusion?"

"Can't tell you that either."

"Right." she shook her head and hefted her bag onto her shoulder, opening the door and setting her bag on the bed.

The next few days were spent lazing around the mansion. Although it was nice, she preferred to be active, spend her time wisely. The house had an amazing gym, but it could only provide so much entertainment. The grounds were beautiful, with lush gardens and winding paths leading to the bayou. The majority of the doors in the house were locked, which irked Marie to no end. She wanted to know so badly what hid behind them.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"_Bonjour Remy, mon frère."_ A bald man called out from across the restaurant. Remy grinned, clapping the man on the shoulder as he approached.

"Henri,_ mon dieu, comment allez vous_"

"_Bien, et tu?" _

"Same." They sat in a booth facing the door but far enough away they wouldn't be spotted. The jazz club bustled, busy even during the middle of the day, the smell of Cajun spices wafting through from the kitchen making him giddy. "I've really missed places like this."

"Yah, you can't get anything like this up north." Henri agreed, leaning forwards and looking at his brother curiously. "How have you been Remy?"

"Can't complain too much. Had a lot more time for business."

"And other things I suppose." He grinned, his red mustache scrunching around his thin lips. "When am I gonna get to meet those _filles, _you been hanging around with?"

"Soon enough." Gambit smirked, delighted to have his brothers interest.

"Remy you know _père _doesn't like involving civilians in our…..business."

"_Oui, _Remy know." He nodded, than pursed his lips. "But Jean-Luc will understand."

"Oh?" Henri didn't look convinced. "And what will he be understanding?"

"They had nowhere else to go." Remy explained, perhaps a bit more passionately than he intended. Henri raised an eyebrow but said nothing, sensing an argument would only aggravate his brother.

"He's worried about you Remy."

"Why?" his red and black eyes narrowed.

"The assassins are experiencing some…." Henri considered, trying to find the right word. "Internal problems at the moment."

"How so?"

"Not everyone agrees with the decision to let you some back." he said seriously. "There have rumors about someone taking things into their own hands."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm really hard to kill." Remy waved away his brothers concerns arrogantly, trying desperately to ignore the nagging feeling at the back of his mind that Henri's concerns were valid.

"I know, but I thought I'd warn you."

"Remy appreciates it." he looked at the menu, giving himself time to collect himself.

"But," Henri continued, trying to alleviate the tense atmosphere. "At least the food is good."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

As Remy ate, Marie climbed beneath the covers and switched the light off, letting herself drift into sleep.

She dreamt of the mansion. Her old home in New York, with its climbing vines and automatic weapons systems. It was Christmas and she stood with Scott on the steps waving as their friends drove off to their families for the holidays.

"_So, who's up for some hot cocoa?" Scott said, looking down at her with that heart melting smile gracing his lips. _

"_That sounds nice." She smiled back, hoping yet again that this Christmas would be the one when they became more than friends. However impossible it was, she couldn't help but wish. _

_She berated herself again and followed her oblivious leader through the doors and down the hall to the kitchen. _

A few hours later, Marie's eyes snapped open. Panic seized her for a moment. _Where am I?_

"_Take a deep breath kid." Logan murmured to her. "Stop and think about it."_

She obeyed, slowly recalling the events of the previous few days. _I'm in a safe house, in Louisiana. I'm fine. _She quietly reassured herself, closing her eyes and trying to will herself back to sleep, hoping the flashback wouldn't return.

The sound of quiet footsteps reached her, silent enough she wouldn't have heard it if not for the dead quiet. This is what had woken her, she realized, rolling out of bed silently and creeping towards the door. As she reached it, the handle jiggled and she flattened herself against the wall.

As it creaked open and a head poked through, she caught her breath. Who were they? They weren't supposed to be here. Her instincts screamed at her to run, hide, and do anything to get out of there. This was bad, whoever this person was, they were dangerous. She turned, still facing the door and tip-toed backwards towards the window.

Something clamped around her throat, cutting off her air and hauling her off her feet. Her neck burned as she clawed at the cord. Her mind shut off as instinct took over. She kicked, aiming for anything that would help stop the burning in her lungs.

Someone grunted and she knew she had hit something important. Her feet reconnected with the ground for a brief second before she was hauled back up even higher than before. Black spots danced in front of her eyes. Her hands made their way back to claw at the hands holding the cord. He, it had to be a he, pulled tighter and she tried to scream.

Another pair of hands took her wrists and desperately tried to still her convulsing body. The pain made it impossible to think clearly, forcing her body to react of its own accord.

The cord began to glow, bright magenta light ricocheting around the room. Shocked, the assailant holding her hands backed away, releasing her hands. The cord fell slack and Marie pitched forwards, precious oxygen rushing into her lungs. She ran a fingertip gingerly across the fairly deep cut stretching around the front of her neck.

"God damn it." she snarled, fury beyond that she had ever known rushed into her veins. "I just can't get a god damn break!" she rose to her feet, managing to keep herself from pitching forwards.

"What the hell?" the one who'd held her still backed away, shaking his head in disbelief. The cord lay sizzling on the floor next to her, and without a moment's hesitation, Marie picked it up and hurled it towards her attackers. It exploded on impact, sending both flying into the opposite wall with a bang.

Grabbing them by the backs of their necks, she hurled them through the door; to furious to notice her skin turn to steel and a set of bone claws protrude from her knuckles. They bounced down the stairs, one after the other like a pair of Slinkys in a flurry of curses and discarded tools.

She shot down the steps, her feet never touching the floor as her fist connected with the closest man. He flew through the glass doors and out into the garden, bouncing across the path and into a tree. Behind her, the other stumbled to his feet and dug into his belt.

The gas pellets hit the ground near his feet and she coughed, falling to her knees.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Hello?" Henri said into his cell phone. His brother looked at him, his eyes questioning. Henri talked for a moment, the happy look falling off his face in a matter of seconds. "We'll take care of it."

"What is it?" Remy demanded as the phone snapped closed.

"The safe house silent alarm went off."

"Let's go."

0-0-0-0-0-0

A scream echoed around the foyer. The man stood over Marie crumpled to the ground, his hands flying to his head as if to stop the pain.

Evelyn rushed to her friend, helping her to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She rubbed her neck, than looked out the door as the other man ran in. Eyes shining with power, she launched him backwards into a tree. The man crumpled to the ground, his temple bleeding. Without a word, she whirled to the other, still clutching his temples in pain and roundhouse kicked him in the head. "Ass hole."

**There, it is finally finished. Okay next time I do a story, I'm writing it first before I start posting it. **

**Review Responses:**

**Darkpsychoqueen: ****thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!**

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	19. Chapter 19

Looking in from the outside, the safe house appeared undamaged. That's what worried Gambit the most. Henri dropped down from the tree beside him, his face grim.

"One of the back windows was tampered with. Had to be professional. It's to clean a job to be an amateur. Not to mention he security is to high end for any old house thief."

There was a crash inside and they both jumped.

"Let's go." Remy reached for a deck of cards and together they approached the house. Henri made a fist, signaling that they were to go through the door together. They burst inside, ready to attack.

"Ouch, god damn it that hurts!" Marie sat on the foot stool with Evelyn desperately trying to get a good look at a long red mark around her neck. Each time the blonde telepath moved to try to get a better look, Marie would flinch away with a pained expression. "Don't touch it!"

"Just stop fidgeting and let me look!"

"Hell no!"

"Well it seems you two are having fun." Remy drawled smoothly, efficiently hiding the panic he had felt only a moment ago.

"I'm fine." She insisted, turning to Remy as in pleasing a case as they walked over. "Tell her to leave me alone."

"Leave her be Ev." Marie sighed in relief. "I'll take care of it."

"You'll what?" Marie stammered, glaring at him. "You will do no such thing."

He leaned down towards her, his lips only a hair away from her ear. "Look at it this way, you can let me take a look and you won't feel a thing, or you can protest. Either way it will get done but I can't guarantee the later will be as pleasant."

"What makes you think you can take me?" she grumbled, though it was for show more than anything else. She tilted her head away from him to expose her neck, leading him to believe she was in more pain than she wanted to let on.

"Does it hurt much?" okay stupid question.

"Aren't you an empath, why don't you tell me?"

"Remy could, but he really doesn't want your emotions screaming at me. I only use my empathy in extreme cases."

"Huh." She grunted, wincing as he prodded the edges of the wound. Gently, so as to cause as little pain as possible, he tilted her head back a bit, allowing her to lean against his chest. She sighed and relaxed against him.

"There's a girl." He murmured, trading his leather gloves for a pair of thin latex ones. "Henri could you grab me the tweezers?"

"_Oui."_

"Thanks." He took them from him, carefully extracting the small fibers clinging to the abrasion from whatever was used to make it. "Henri, this is Marie and Evelyn. Ladies, _mon frère, _Henri."

"Hey." Evelyn nodded.

"Yah, hi." Marie started, than hissed. "God damn it Remy what the hell are you doing, digging to china?"

"You wanna tell Remy what happened? Oh Henri, would you help Evelyn take care of those guys?" he motioned with a shoulder towards the two unconscious men sprawled where they had fallen. While his brother and his friend bound the two, Remy listened with growing anger to Marie retell the nights events as she knew them. Had he not been busy with her neck, he would quite possible walked over and performed bodily harm on the two captives.

"Why would they come here?" Marie asked quietly when she was done. "Who are they?" Henri shared a look with his brother, debating what they would be able to tell them.

"Remy, don't know for sure, but he swears, we'll find out." He wrapped a small layer of gauze around her neck. It really wasn't as bad as it looked. The slight swelling had gone down, though she would have to watch it for a few days to avoid making it worse.

"I could find out now." She offered, glaring pointedly at the assassins. She really was considering it, he realized. The use of her powers, as she had shared a few weeks ago, was usually limited to extreme situations and to gain the upper hand on an opponent. But then again, this would count as both.

"Now _chere,_ Remy don't think you want them_ batârds_ in that pretty little head of yours." He teased, not entirely joking. "Remy promise he and Henri'll figure it out." He shot a look at his brother.

"That's right," Henri spoke up reassuringly. "Things'll go back to the way they were before in no time."

"I wish." Marie muttered silently, still looking as if she wanted to cold cock them bare handed. "Maybe Ev should read their minds or something, I'd bet our ways would be a hell of a lot faster than yours."

"It's not a problem," Henri assured them quickly but calmly. "We have our own way of dealing with things here."

Marie studied them for a moment, as if debating whether or not to believe them, than shrugged and rose to her feet. "If you're sure."

"We are." he and his brother both stated firmly.

"Than if y'all don't mind, I'd very much like to go to bed again." she looked to them, waiting for the go ahead. Remy nodded and she started up the steps, waving her fingers tiredly by way of a good-bye.

"Night chere." Remy called quietly, than extended a similar farewell as Evelyn followed Marie up, no doubt to crash out on the bed as soon as possible.

"God damn it Remy." Henri sighed as soon as their footsteps padded out of hearing distance. "This is gonna be one hell of a mess."

"You're telling Remy."

"We can't leave them here." He ran a hand through his hair. "It's not safe."

"_Non,_ we can't"

"If the assasins found this place, they'll be able to find the others. We are going to have to take them out of here. If they're in the city they can be found. We need to get them out of-"

"_Non."_

"What?"

"They aren't leaving."

"Remy-"

"Henri do you know what these girls, Marie in particular, have been through in the last few months?" Remy asked calmly. His brother started to protest but he held up a hand to silence him. "Evelyn was exposed as a mutant to her anti-mutant parents and run out of her home town. The people who Marie saw as parents were possessed by a crazy super mutant who wanted to turn all the humans into mutants. Her so called family blamed her and she left, only to get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. She got thrown in jail, and granted that was Remy's fault."

"That's not the point."

"They get hauled off to Egypt, only to have said super mutant try and kill Marie and take her body. Sure we were able to defeat him, but not before her powers went haywire and he used her body to try and kill us and all her family. Than when she was finally able to take control again, something happens and suddenly she's falling through the sky. Sand storm picks up, because god just can't give these girls a break, and we get separated from her family, who take off in their jet because they think she's dead and we're not worth the time and trouble."

"I'm not saying I like it,"

"Then, Evelyn somehow manages to help her fix whatever the hell it was that needed fixing and she wakes up. Of course that rather seemed redundant because we were buried in a truck under the sand. We get out, and Remy has to practically carry the poor girl to the safe house because she was in so much pain."

"Remy," Henri stopped his brother as he took a breath. "I understand the situation but that doesn't change-"

"Henri they been running, moving around, had nothing to depend on for a long time. I promised them that I would help them. I'm not gonna move them somewhere completely different again."

"They can't stay here."

"We can take them to the seat."

"Are you crazy?" Henri exploded. "Only guild members are allowed there."

"It's the only place in the city that's guaranteed to be safe."

"You and I both know that's not a possibility."

"Why not?"

"They're not guild members."

"They could be." Remy shot back. "They'd both pass the tests easily."

"But that doesn't change the fact that no one is allowed to even know where it is unless they've passed the tests."

"Then let's put them through them."

"You know that takes time. Have you even talked to them about this? Do they even know about us?" he hissed, glancing towards the stairs.

"They know everything." Remy said, almost amused when the vein in Henri's forehead popped out and his face turned red.

"You told them!" he exploded. "Damn it Remy. You just can't help it can you. It's one thing to help out if they have nowhere else to go. But you just can't help it."

"Remy didn't tell them."

"Then what? They just knew? They guessed?" he threw his hands up. "An elf told them?"

"Henri Evelyn is a telepath." He said coolly, reigning in his temper. "And Marie absorbed me. I didn't tell them a thing."

"What are you talking about?"

"They're both mutants. You know this."

Henri took a deep breath. "What are their mutations?"

Remy explained carefully and slowly, elaborating when Henri had a question and telling things as he knew them.

"We have to tell _Père._" Henri said when he was done. "He needs to know about this."

"Remy agrees."

"We're gonna have to tell Bella." His head snapped towards his brother, his eyes wide.

"Are you crazy?" he asked with genuine wonder. "She'll kill them."

"If they know about our guild, there's a good chance they'll know about hers."

"They wouldn't do anything stupid."

"You can't know they won't tell anyone."

"If they know about the guilds, they'll know what would happen if they did anything."

"You don't know that."

"I trust them."

"What if you're wrong?"

"I'm not."

"How do you know?"

"Just trust Remy on this."

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm your brother." He yelled, looking into his eyes. "That should be reason enough for you."

Henri studied him for a long time, searching his face like the answer was hiding there. Finally, he nodded and walked to the assassins, who were still passed out on the floor. "I'll take them to the seat, let Jean-Luc and the council decide how to handle them. You stay here and get the girls ready for tomorrow. "

"What's tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow you'll bring them to the restaurant on Bourbon; the one _Tante _Mattie sometimes helps out at. I'll get_ Père_ there and we'll let him decide what to do about all this."

"We'll be there."

"See you then _mon frère." _

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The attic of the institute was rarely used. Things such as old furniture, broken machinery and extra artwork were stashed here under porcelain colored sheets, away from the almost constant destruction inflicted on the rest of the house hold items downstairs.

That is why Kitty had decided to make it her sanctuary. Soon after she had found Rogues' book, she found out how hard it really was now a days to get any real privacy. The constant thunder of feet outside the doorway, the possibility of one of the others just popping in at any moment, made the prospect of Rogues diary staying a secret more and more daunting.

Rahne seemed to know she was keeping a secret, but the shape shifter hadn't pried and Kitty was more grateful for that than she could imagine. It was different living with her; she'd be the first to admit it. Nothing Kitty did seemed to bother the younger mutant. She could wake up to Justin Beiber and not be threatened with bodily harm if it wasn't immediately turned off. Her posters hung on the walls all over her side, letting the bright pink paint shine through every few feet or so. Even her late night talks with Lance never provoked a complaint. Not that she was complaining, but sometimes it hurt to think how differently Rogue would have handled things.

Reading about her life, from her own prospective, was eye opening. The entries would go from horribly depressed one page, to beamingly optimistic the next. Her own theories on the gossip around the mansion, tidbits on her feelings about the other inhabitants, complaints and raging rants about whatever little thing had set her off that time. Sometimes it was quite amusing to see her friend's mood change so quickly.

The little things, Kitty had found, had been the things Rogue seemed to notice and take the most pleasure from. An entire page had been spent telling about a danger room session in which Scott had complimented her. She could be in the worst of moods, but than a series of small, seemingly insignificant things would catch her eye. Entries like those made Kitty feel as if her friend were smiling up at from the pages.

There was never much on her past in the pages, and what there was seemed vague and evasive. She learned where she grew up, as well as a few memories of Irene. When she'd found out Kurt was her brother, she'd been hesitant at first, refusing to believe she had any connection to Mystique. But the more she thought about it, the more her perspective changed. She'd started referring to herself not as Mystiques daughter, but as Kurt's sister.

Each person in the mansion had a place in her heart it seemed. Kitty herself was surprised to find that she was never really as annoyed at her music as she said she was, simply because without it she wouldn't be Kitty. The protest had been more for show than anything else.

But she'd also learned of the dark corners that sometimes scared her friend more than the danger they faced daily. The thought that she would never learn control of her powers petrified and distressed her. She wanted more than anything to be able to go to someone and just shake their hand, or to wear shorts in the summer. She hated being looked over as insignificant, or being seen as a liability. Often, she had blamed herself for a mission being a failure because she didn't have some sort of "useful" power. Her powers scared people and she knew it. Kitty never realized how aware her friend had been of the impression she had given others. The slight, lurking fear they all thought they had been hiding so well had apparently never been enough to fool the Goth.

But there was always hope. And reading gave Kitty a sense of closure. Like they had really helped their friend.

That is why she sat, her back against an old etched mirror, flipping through the pages of the small, black leather book, trying to find her place.

0-0-0-0-0-0

_Dear Little Black Book,_

_It's been three months since I got out of the med-lab after my powers went haywire, and still people don't trust me. Not that I'm saying they trusted me much before, what with my powers, and my connection with the Brotherhood. But it's worse now. I see the way they look at me, like they're waiting for me to lose it again. It's like I'm a bomb that they have to defuse or something. Honestly, I'm an X-Man too, not some sort of crazed animal. _

_Scott, Logan and the Professor all agree that I shouldn't use my powers unless absolutely necessary. I'm being watched like a Hawk, like I'm secretly planning to go absorb everyone I possibly can just for the purpose of doing it. They don't seem to realize that when I use my powers, it's not just them who gets hurt. When I absorb someone, their memories, powers, all that jazz, is literally forced into my mind. _

_On the bright side, since the Prof cleared out all the psyches, I've only had to absorb five people. So it's much more manageable. Eric somehow manages to keep Logan and Creed from fighting every second of the day, though Scott and Kitty help out where they can. It's nice, having my head almost to myself. I've had so many voices up there for so long it makes this relatively quiet. Which makes me sound completely crazy; I think having less than ten voices other than my own in my head is quiet. Says a lot doesn't it. _

_But on the flip side, the nightmares are back. I nearly scared little Jamie half to death when he found me passed out in the library. He tried to wake me up and I started screaming about Auschwitz in German. Thank God I convinced him not to tell Scott and Jean. But it's not just Magnetos' nightmares, it's the others too. And what's worse, I'm the star of some of them. _

_Scott has this nightmare, one that keeps coming back. In it, they're all back to the night I lost control. The whole team is there, just like in real life. But the difference is, none of them make it out. In his dream, I kill everyone. That is if they don't kill me, which is another ending to the dream. He has nightmares about that night, more often than he lets on. He dreads making that call, but is afraid that one day, now more than ever, that he'll have to._

_I wonder what would happen if I drowned, would they take the opportunity to just be rid of me. Scott would have a legitimate reason to not allow resuscitation. I mean what if it didn't work and I drained the life out of someone because I couldn't wake up to let go. Would he hesitate long, or at all? _

_Logan has nightmares about that night too. But his are different than Scotts. Not that I'm surprised, I'm sure most of the X-Men see that night in their sleep, from what I gather from the psyches, it was horrible. Makes me glad sometimes that I don't remember it, from my perspective anyways. _

_Logan's nightmare from that night isn't about me killing anyone though. His is different. He was terrified for me, not by me. And believe me he had plenty of reasons to be afraid of me but he wasn't. He was afraid that I'd burn out, that the powers would just suck me dry. He was so scared of losing me, or one of the others. He's scared of that happening to one of the others, and that if it does we won't be able to stop it. It's really nice, the way he looks out for us, though he doesn't like to show it. _

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Ah yes Eric, please come in."

"Thank you Charles."

The Master of Magnetism sat in the seat across from Xavier and folded his hands in his lap. Things were quiet for a long time, both lost in their own thoughts. It had been a long time since they had sat comfortably in the same room. Many things had happened over the years to push them apart, but the bond they had foraged as young men still held strong, enduring everything that had come.

My how things had changes. Less than six months ago, they had been on opposite ends of the spectrum. Eric had still been bent on achieving his vision, whatever means necessary. While Charles, though perusing the same dream, had been wrangling with politicians to try to bring humans and mutants to accept one another. Now, their respective teams were not only working side by side, but nearly one and the same.

"Have you given any thought to my offer?" Charles asked quietly, meeting his friends' eyes imploringly.

"I have." Magneto replied solemnly.

"And?"

"I believe it would be in both our best interests if I accepted." He smiled. His friend grinned and shook his hand warmly.

"Welcome to the staff of The Xavier Academy."

"Thank you."

**Alright this one is a little short but I can't cut it off anywhere else.**

**Review responses:**

Chellerbelle: thank you!

Mastah'o'awesome: thank you fro your review, I'm glad you found the story again. if you want you can do some art, but it's really not a big deal. your review made me really happy. Like seriously you have no idea. *Epic Face*

TheAdversaryWithin: they'll be reunited, eventually, in more than one way *despicable grin while wiggling eyes brows menacingly* buwhahaha

darkpsychoqueen: thank you for reviewing, and look see I didn't take forever this time to update!

TheWritingGirl23: see that's what I thought would happen but I don't like not having stuff to read for months and I know others are the dame. *sigh* alas I shall have to update faster. But it takes me a while to figure things out.

ilovethewoods: yes that was the end. Of the chapter anyways. Thanks for reviewing


	20. Chapter 20

"Marie you up?" Remy knocked gently on her door the next morning, two cups of coffee in hand. The bright sunlight shone through the hall windows, carrying no trace of the events that transpired over the night. The birds outside twittered and sang loudly and a thump sounded from the other side of the door.

"Yah." He heard her yell from the other side of the door. "Gimmie a minute."

He waited patiently, idly wondering what the day would be like. Stress was almost certain all things considered. But maybe his family would surprise him. After all, they had a habit of doing that.

The door opened and there she stood. She'd dressed nicely for today, as per his request. She'd donned black flowing top, small glittering beads sewn along the neckline that twinkled when she moved. In her arms was a dark green leather jacket he recognized as the one he'd bought her earlier in the week. Her hair was pulled back, leaving the snowy white bangs he was becoming fond of down to frame her pale face. She'd ditched the heavy gothic make up for some lighter, natural colors, and a hint of blush. She smiled at him, pulling her ever present black gloves from the pocket of her dark denim pants.

"Good Morning." She said, oblivious to or just ignoring his stare. "Oh you have caffeine." He nodded, passing the still steaming mug to her and watching as she inhaled deeply.

"Morning _Chere,_ Remy got breakfast ready downstairs for you and Evelyn whenever y'all are ready."

"Oh." She raised her eyebrows, surprised and delighted. "Thanks, you didn't have to do that."

"Remy wanted to though. After all, you are guests in my humble abode." He said with a dramatic bow, causing her to laugh in delight. There was no need to mention that he had been up since the night before, keeping watch around the grounds in case of any more attempts to break in.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"Fine." She said immediately, her happy, easy going expression wavering ever so slightly.

"Those X-Men of yours must be pretty gullible if you lied like that around them." He stepped into her room and closed the door softly behind him. "Let Remy take a look."

"It's fine Remy really." She said, backing away quickly.

"Marie." He said firmly, and she stopped moving. "Remy ain't gonna hurt ya, just let me take a look."

She hesitated, than sat on the edge of the bed. _Progress, _he thought. _We're making progress._

She tilted her head, wincing as the wound stretched. "Well it's not so bad now." He murmured, though he knew on most any others it would have been potentially fatal. The cut had healed drastically overnight, leading him to believe Wolverine may have been helping out a bit. A dark, painful looking bruise encircled her neck, and he sighed.

"What's that?" Marie asked warily, watching the silver tube he pulled from one of his many pockets.

"Just a bit of cooling gel, relax. It'll help bring the swelling down. Unfortunately, there's no way I can remove the bruises so you'll just have to wait for them to fade. Looks a lot better than last night though. Healed quickly."

"I think Logan's powers did that. Sometimes they just pop up when I'm hurt or in danger or something like that." He smeared a bit of gel onto the wound, smirking when she relaxed.

"Oh really? What'd that professor of yours have to say about that?" he really was genuinely curious, but the flash of guilt that crossed her face the moment he asked made him wish he'd held his tongue.

"I-I never told them." She whispered, "They would have freaked."

"Why is that?"

"When my powers went haywire before, I almost killed them. If they knew there was a sign that it could happen again…." she trailed off.

"They wouldn't have left you alone." He finished, remembering what little she'd told him of the infamous power flare up.

"Yah." She looked at him, grateful that he at least, understood. "And besides, I can't control it, as you've seen. But…." She looked as if trying to decide how to word something.

"Yes?"

"You remember that theory you had back in Egypt?"

"_Oui."_

"Well I think you have a point, at least to an extent. You said that if Apocalypse could change humans into mutants, he would therefore able to change DNA as well."

"That I did."

"Well, since then, the flare-ups have been happening more and more often. But it's not just since this last….. meeting with him. It's been escalating since I woke him. The amount of times it happened after that almost doubled, but granted it was only once every few months before. But now…"

"Now?"

"It used to be only when I was in danger or insanely stressed. Now it's happening all the time. When I'm pissed, nervous, scared, hell even when I sleep. You remember when I phased through the couch?"

"How could I forget?" she blushed.

"Well….."

"Hey guys?" Evelyn knocked quietly, her voice tentative. "There's a car out front, they said they're from the guild."

"We'll talk later." He murmured, whipping his hands on the inside of his coat and standing. "We need to get going."

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Computer, power up, access code X03-F. Run memory scan, file XR-06."

"Acknowledged." Droned the pleasant female voice programed into the computer. "Please wait." The screen hummed and flickered. "Task complete."

"Display."

The room around her flickered, the podium on which she was standing vanishing into nothing. The cold steel melted into sand and began to whip around her on the wind. It was hard reliving these memories again but Kitty wanted answers.

"Run it." she called, and around her chaos broke out. A composite of memories, all of the same event swirled around her, providing access from all angles. She saw Scott get blasted away from the stairway beneath the sphinx, a blonde girl bowling him over as he tried to stand. Wolverine and a dark skinned man with dusty brown hair ran quickly out behind them, fighting to stay standing as explosions rocked the stairwell.

"Freeze frame." Kitty called, walking closer to the frozen image. "Computer, run facial recognition, quadrant 102 subsection fourteen."

"Working." Kitty walked around the scene for the thousandth time. She'd reviewed the memory of that night many times, looking for some way her friend could have survived. But now, she watched for a different reason. As the computer hummed while completing its task, she walked to the steps, circling the man beside Logan. He had strange eyes, red on black. His trench coat was frozen splayed out behind him, billowing in the wind. Really, he was quite attractive.

"Who are you?" she murmured.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The music and sounds of New Orleans was delightful, so lively and fun. Around them, smells wafted from the open doors of the restaurants and mixed together in the streets in an intoxicating blend of spices and smoke. Lights flashed from the bright neon signs and washed the street in a cornucopia of flashing color.

"This is so amazing." Cried Evelyn, her eyes glued to the street performers on the nearest corner. "I can't believe something like this even exists."

"Yah the big easy's one of a kind."

"I never realized how much I missed these kinds of places." Marie murmured, smiling slightly as they turned onto Bourbon Street.

"Yah you can't find anything like this up north. And Remy suppose you didn't get to enjoy your last visit much." He looked a little ashamed for a minute, looking at her from the corner of his eye. She smiled slightly and shrugged.

"After all the shit that came after that, it's really not that big of a deal."

"Wait wouldn't the cops recognize you if they saw you?" Evelyn said suddenly.

"Not likely. They didn't print me or anything, just shoved me into a cell. Not that I can blame them. "She finished quietly. "And It's been almost two months since then." Had it really been such a short time since that night? All that had happened since then, in such a short time, it seemed hard to believe.

"Remy, weren't you exiled?" She asked suddenly, a memory pulling at the back of her mind.

"Well yes." He said slowly, looking out the window.

"Than what are we doing here? "

"_Chere_ it's really not a big deal. I think everyone expected Remy to break that damn rule at some point."

"But-" she started to argue as they pulled to the curb and he helped her out.

"Ah, Remy, we've been expecting you." A dark haired man said, sliding from the near nonexistent shadows.

"Julian." Gambit hissed, reaching into the pocket Marie knew he kept his staff safe inside.

"Oh please do, I've wanted to kick your ass for years."

"Put it away. Both of you. How old are you?"

"Bella say out of this."

"Oh please." The blonde assassin emerged from the shadows. "Because that would go over so well with the council."

"Who says they have to know?"

"Who says they don't already?" drawled yet another Cajun voice from the doorway a few yards down.

"Jean-Luc." Remy murmured.

"Hello Remy." He nodded, a hint of a smile gracing his lips. "Ladies. We've been expecting you." He gestured grandly, moving away from the door to allow them through.

As they stepped over the threshold, Marie looked around. Tapestries hung from the ceiling, covering nearly every inch of wall with bright colors. There were no doors along the walls, which she found strange.

"This way." Gambit murmured in her ear, grasping her hand and pulling her farther down the elegant corridor.

Then the world went black. Gasping instinctively, she squeezed his hand only to find that he wasn't there. "Remy?" she said, whipping around frantically. "What's going on?"

"Remy's here chere. Don't worry it's just procedure." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "We're just going a little further.

0-0-0-0-0

The council was already seated when they came in. The dread he felt increased as they were guided to their seats. Plush chairs and couches lined the walls, the men and women perched on them even more magnificent than the last time he'd seen them.

Marius Boudreaux reclined to his sons' left, Bella taking the seat on the right. He could easily swing the decision either for or against the girls. They'd have to be careful with him.

"Come, sit." He murmured, peering down at Evelyn and Marie with interest. They did as they were told. "You father has told us of your…predicament. I understand you are mutants?" they nodded. "May I ask what your powers are?" Remy opened his mouth but Marius cut him off. "I'd like to hear it from them if you don't mind."

"I'm a telepath." Evelyn stated simply. "I can go into another person's mind and read their thoughts."

"We are aware of what a telepath is thanks." Julian sneered, silencing at the look from his father.

"Are you able to influence another person telepathically?" Marius asked. Evelyn contemplated, then shrugged.

"I've never tried. I suppose I could if I worked on it."

"And you my dear?" Marius asked Marie. She hesitated, and then looked him in the eyes as she spoke.

"I'm a leech." She stated simply. Remy could sense the confusion felt by the council as they waited for her to elaborate. She didn't.

"Would you mind explaining?" Julian asked with false politeness. She sighed, and unbuttoned her glove.

"If I were to touch you right now, you'd probably end up in a coma." She murmured, holding up her pale white hand. "Your memories, your life force, everything about you would all flow into me." The members of the council started whispering and Marie nervously slipped her glove back on. After a few moments, Jean-Luc called for silence from his seat next to Marius.

"Is this how you obtained the information on the guild, from….. Taking it from my sons mind?"

"No it's not like that." She protested. "I mean yes I absorbed him, but it was an accident. I can't control who I absorb. It just automatically happens when I make skin to skin contact with someone."

"I don't believe you." Julian said bluntly. Remy bristled and Henri sent him a warning glance. It wouldn't bode well for them if he were to start something now.

"If you don't believe it, come find out yourself." She said calmly. Remy looked at her, wanting to protest but knowing he couldn't. Here, she would have to hold her own. Julian stood up and walked towards her with a predatory smile. Off the gloves went and she held out a hand to the approaching assassin. "Just concentrate on something only you would know. If it's at the front of your mind, the likely hood of me getting something you don't want me to know isn't as high." Julian nodded, still smirking as he grasped her hand.

Instantly, his body stiffened and a strangled sound came from his mouth. Guns were drawn by the assassins and Remy stood, charging the card that was already in his hand. As his hand was released, Julian stumbled back and shook his head. Marie shuddered and blinked rapidly. He kneeled next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking into her eyes.

"You alright Marie?" she nodded and he sat back down on her other side, watching as Julian climbed to his feet. After a long moment, he met her eyes and something passed between them. "Well?" he impatiently.

"I believe her." Julian murmured, rubbing his head gingerly. "Sure as hell hurts though." She smiled, relaxing her shoulders slightly.

"Okay so we've established they're mutants. That's all fine and dandy. But what are we going to do about them?" Bella asked. Remy stiffened.

"I believe my son is right." Jean-Luc said after a moment. "Their abilities would be an asset to both guilds and it seems a waste to just kill them."

Marie shifted towards him and he took her hand in his, squeezing it slightly. This didn't escape Jean-Luc's notice.

"I would very much like to see Marie join my guild." Jean-Luc said. "I believe the nature of her powers is perfectly suited for our kind of work. However," Remy's stomach clenched. "She would need a trainer."

"I'll do it."

"Naturally." Jean-Luc smiled. "Do you have any objections Marius?"

"I do. Her talents would, admittedly, be well suited for your life style. But I believe she would be an asset to my guild as well."

"No." Remy burst out. "I brought her here, she stays with me."

"Remy, you need to be quiet." His father hissed.

"Then what do you suggest?" Marius asked politely.

"If I may," Evelyn spoke up as Remy opened his mouth. "I think you'd find me to be a more suited asset to you guild, Monsieur Boudreaux." He raised an eyebrow, looking at the blonde quizzically.

"And why would that be?"

"Well, as I said earlier, my powers are still under developed. But I believe that with training, I would be able to…..dispose of certain individuals in a manner that could not be stopped or even determined. With training, I could shut down the brain of another."

"And what makes you think that?"

"Well, I have the same powers and general capabilities as the famous Charles Xavier and his pupil Jean Grey. If they can do it, I will be able to as well."

"Oh really?" Julian sneered, looking skeptical.

"And Marie, though she would surely be an asset in your line of work, at the present time would also be a liability."

Remy, despite himself, raised an eyebrow. What was she talking about?

"How would that be?"

"Well, to kill another, you generally have to come into contact with the prospective victim at least once, with the exception of a few select methods. With her powers in the state that they are, this could seriously undermine your operation. Suppose she were to accidentally absorb someone. They would know what she is and most likely cut contact." Marie hung her head and he squeezed her hand.

"But as a thief, she would only have more incentive to not be seen, and therefore touched."

"She has a point." Bella murmured, and Remy began to feel the stirrings of hope well inside of him.

Marius considered, and then nodded. "Very well. It is decided. The tests will take place as soon as possible."

"We will need a moment Remy. Take the girls into the reception room while we discuss."

Remy stood, pulling Marie and Evelyn up and leading them out the door, to the room just beyond. As soon as they were out of sight, he grabbed Marie around the waist and swung her around, his arms tightly wrapped around her waist. She laughed and he hugged Evelyn. "We did it!"

0-0-0-0-0-0

The plans seemed to be made rather quickly, Remy thought as he and Marie sat quietly in the compartment provided for them my the guild. Outside the window, rural scenery flashed by as their train sped northwards.

The plan was simple, though he wouldn't tell Marie that. They were to infiltrate a mansion in the upper part of New York State and gather details about the security layout, then tap into the feed and install a device that would allow them to hack in whenever they wanted, from wherever they were. This would be simple, Remy would be doing most of the work, while Marie played lookout. When the time for her tilling came, their rolls would be reversed. But this test, it was to prove they had what it takes to be in the guild. The only problem?

They were breaking into the Institute.

**Okay I know y'all hate me and it took way too long to post this but I'll be honest. I lost interest in this for a while. I got involved in other things, work, school, etc. the whole X-Men thing got put on the back burner but a review by a certain someone (you know who you are) kicked me into gear. **

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	21. Chapter 21

**Once again, the only thing I can do is apologize for not updating in forever. But hey, life happens.**

Things went better than she'd expected. Better than she could have hoped.

The mansion hadn't changed a bit. The front hall still smelled like smoke and bleach. The same paint still covered the walls. But most importantly, the same pin was still used to get into the security room. Remy called this ignorant stupidity and she couldn't help but agree.

The sensors were installed, the devices planted and they were gone before anyone even knew they were there.

Mission: accomplished.

Guilt: None at all.

"Congrats chere, within the week, you will be accepted into the thieves guild."

"And what will happen then?"

"Well, if you're not against it, Remy'd like to be the one to train you up, teach you what you need to know."

"Do you really think I'd go through all this just to ditch you for someone else?" she looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Sorry swamp rat but you're stuck with me." He grinned.

"Well if you insist. Of course, we're gonna be pretty busy for a while, what with you learning all the basics and Remy helpin' you with your powers. But Remy thinks we can manage it."

"We will." She stated firmly, rubbing the side of her right glove absently, as she did every time they discussed the upcoming control sessions.

"But after a while, when we get you all trained up and you pass your tilling, things will settle down. You'll be able to pick and choose the number of jobs you do a year, which ones you want to do and all that."

"Okay great."

"Since we've got some time to kill, why don't I teach you some essentials?"

"Alright let's get started."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Just like old times." Marie murmured to Remy as they made their way stealthily across the roof of one of the warehouses in downtown Seattle.

"Whatever you say chere."

"Why are we doing this again?"

"Because that's our target. If anyone is going to rob them blind it'll be us."

"Alrighty then." She chuckled, looking into the eyes of her new best friend. The last three months had been some of the happiest of her life. Her powers were progressing fairly well under his training and she had found a new home within the guild. She pulled her own weight; doing jobs with Remy, sometimes even crossing over and lending the now apprentice Evelyn a hand gathering information. She felt like she fit here.

"They're on the move."

"How are we gonna do this?"

"We play the hero."

"Sounds like a plan."

She dropped herself down onto the roof of the truck the men were currently loading their goods into, forcing the door shut. "Kinda late for a delivery isn't it?" she purred. The leader of this unfortunate group stared at her, his eyes raking over her uniform as he sized her up. Her skintight green armor, made of the same flexible yet nearly bulletproof material that Remy's was, hugged her curves and allowed for more flexibility. Unfortunately, it left little to the imagination, though it covered all the skin up to her chin. When she had pointed this out to Remy, albeit awkwardly, he had laughed at her and agreed to hand over his trench coat to the modest girl until she could purchase her own. Not that she planned to, thought she wouldn't let him know it.

She launched herself off the vehicle, plowing into the closest of the men and throwing him into the nearest wall. Two more rushed at her on either side, crowbars held high. Oh this was going to be fun. She neatly dodged both men, slipping out of harm's way at the last second and watching as they ran headlong into each other.

Two arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders, pinning her arms to her sides as a hand slid silently down her sides. She looked back into the brown eyes of the unfortunate man who was about to become microscopic meat. His teeth flashed white for a moment, the turned red as she plowed the heel of her hand into his face. The arms released her and she pun around, ramming her foot into his face.

Remy landed next to her, his bo-staff spinning.

It was over very quickly after that.

As the last man fell to the ground he turned and shot her a wicked grin and she couldn't help but grin back as she walked to his side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she couldn't help but grin more. "We all good chere?"

"Yah sure." He rolled his eyes and turned her around to face him, his eyes searching for any sign of injury. "Remy I'm fine."

"just had to be sure chere. When that creep got his hands on you I thought he might do something', he had that feel about him."

"Nah, I got him before he could get too much of a feel." She shuddered anyways, trying to ignore the memory of his hands slowly roaming, lower.

"Good girl. Besides, Remy's the only one who can do that." He teased, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and resting his chin on her shoulder. She laughed and shrugged him off playfully, slightly surprised at the shivers he sent down her back.

"Now, back to business." He took out his palm pilot and together, they made their way through the warehouse to file room.

"Do you know what it is?" she asked fifteen minutes later as they drove southwards towards the drop point, a small microchip tucked away in a case at her feet.

"Yup." She raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

"Care to enlighten me?"

"Nope." He popped the ending and smirked when she narrowed her eyes. "Sorry chere', can't tell you quite yet. Since you're still an apprentice some things are too classified to let you in on." She huffed.

"Damn it." he laughed and took her gloved hand in his as he drove, smiling when she didn't flinch away.

"You'll pass your tilling with ease. When the time comes."

"That could be years from now."

"Possible, but unlikely. Marie at the rate you've been going, I wouldn't be surprised if the guild wants your tilling within the next month or two."

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Yup."

"Great."

0-0-0-0-0-0

The flight back to New Orleans was long. The private jet the guild had gotten for them to ride in had come stocked with all the amenities. This prompted Gambit to declare it the perfect time to work on her powers.

That was mistake number one.

"Just a little more, you're almost there."

"I feel like my head is going to explode."

"You say that every time."

"It's true every time damn you."

"You're getting better, just a few more seconds and you'll have a new record."

"Yippee."

"Come on. 5-"

"I hate you."

"4-"

"I hope you die."

"3-"

"I will rip your-"

"2-"

"Head off and stuff it-"

"1-"

"Into a wood chipper."

"And you're clear."

She released a breath and allowed herself to collapse back onto the couch.

"Total time was twenty three minutes and thirty-six seconds." He informed her, sitting next to her and handed her the stop watch so she could see for herself. She smiled tiredly and leaned her head back in exhaustion. Remy chuckled and passed her a bottle of water from the built in fridge.

The theory Remy proposed all that time ago had proved to be true, as they had discovered after a few trial and error runs. The key to controlling her absorption was controlling the flow of energy to her skin. Remy had likened it to a stop light at an intersection. The "light" to let the energy flow to her skin was always green. Therefore her powers were always working. If she could "turn the red light on." He said, she should be able to eventually gain control. Problem? The energy had to go somewhere if it wasn't going to her skin. So where did they put it?

So far nowhere. The energy that would have potentially gone to her skin just stayed where it was, waiting for the pathways to open again. And energy build up hurt.

Thus the reason they worked on the other side of her powers, controlling the gifts she'd absorbed. If they could channel that energy into something else, then the pain would go away. And this proved a valid idea. Only problem? Accessing the powers.

At first it had been nearly impossible, but as they practiced, certain powers became more useable. Logan's had been the first they had worked with but certainly not the last. They had managed to access all the abilities available to her with practice but discovered that his own were the most suitable for dealing with this sort of thing.

But being on a plane, they couldn't just make things explode.

This was why they were currently using Magnetos powers to release the pent up energy.

Mistake number two.

The small metal cup that had been levitating above the table crashed to the ground and Marie cried out in pain. Gambit whipped around to face her, rushing to her side as she clutched her head in pain. "Marie?" She groaned through her teeth and curled into his embrace, her eyes squeezed shut in pain.

"They're hurting them." She murmured, her eyes snapping open, and her voice sounding strained.

"Marie darling you've got to let go of it. The memories aren't real." Remy murmured, the problem finally registering in his mind. This had happened a few times before, more so at first when they had first been practicing. But lately, nothing had happened.

She shuddered as the psyche slipped away and she was returned to normal. "Damn it."

"Are you okay?"

"Fine." She said, pulling herself up and reaching for the bottle she had let fall. She yanked the top off and kicked back the rest of the remaining liquid, throwing the bottle violently into the trash when she was finished. Remy gentle guided her to a seat and for a long time they just sat, each lost in their own thoughts.

"That's the part I hate the most." She murmured finally. He didn't need an explanation, knowing from past experiences what kind of memories Erik had inside his head.

"I know." He whispered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and just holding her until finally, she fell asleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"You're improving greatly. Congratulations."

It was odd seeing Magneto at the school. The lack of fighting was eerie. And don't even mention the plain clothes he always wore.

But then again, a lot had changed in the past year.

Kitty watched from the control room as the students below exited the chamber before climbing down and starting up the memory program yet again. The search results for every possible test she'd run so far had turned no stones, leaving her to believe that there was more to this particular mutant than meets the eye. The lack of data, in any system, seemed to just confirm that.

"It won't change anything."

"What does it matter?"

"It's too painful."

"I don't want to relive that day."

"Why do you put yourself through that?"

The others didn't understand. They couldn't grasp the need she felt to find answers. It wasn't a matter of closure, not for them. The memorial had served that purpose well enough for most. But not for Kitty. This pattern she had, it just opened up the wounds the other had hoped would heal with time. And for most they had.

But seeing her face, reliving that day over and over, what purpose did it serve for Kitty? Why pour salt in the cut? No the other X-Men didn't understand.

But Magneto did.

And so he watched Katherine, from the windows of the observation deck, as she ran and reran scans and scenarios.

Her face had thinned out, the last year or so had been hard. Her already petite frame had lost some of the muscle she'd had. The difference, though not as drastic as it could have been, was at least noticeable.

He'd contemplated his decision many times before today, wondering if it would have made a difference in the outcome. And now, as he sat watching, he knew he would never have been able to keep it to himself.

It was with this in mind that slipped down the stairs and into the chaos.

She didn't notice him right away, focused as she was on the panel before her, her fingers buzzing over the keys. He waited a moment, and then cleared his throat.

She jumped, "Oh hey Erik," his name left her tongue uncertainly, still uncomfortable with calling him by his first name.

"How is your search coming?"

"Oh you know, same as it always is, which is to say no progress."

"And yet you keep trying?"

"Yup."

"Why?"

"Because she was my best friend."

"And?"

"I know what happened to her, that has helped me through all this, the knowing that she's gone."

The old man nodded, not sure where she was going with this.

"And maybe, that girl, and the man, maybe they had a best friend too. One who doesn't know what happened to their friend."

He looked at her, studying the determination in her face and smiled softly.

"I understand. This is why I have come here." She cocked her head to the side, listening.

"A few years ago, back in my more…..active days, I needed to acquire a piece of equipment from a highly classified facility on the outskirts of London. They had, being a classified facility, very high tech security. I was not able to penetrate it. So I hired someone I had heard of through the metaphorical grape vine. He acquired it easily and was paid in full for his services."

"if you're suggesting I hire this guy to find out about the guy, I appreciate the advice but I am currently broke."

"I am not suggesting you hire him."

"Then what?"

"The man I hired is the same man that you are currently running through Interpol."

0-0-0-0-0-0

"The information available on him is essentially nothing we don't already know. He was from the southern part of the United States, most likely Louisiana. He had a mutation that enabled him to kinetically charge objects and change their molecular structure and force it to explode. He was about six feet tall and had a mutation in his eyes that colored them red on black. This is what we already knew."

"This is also all the data available on him through official channels."

"But there are rumors floating around in the more…..high class criminal ring. He is part of an organization called the 'Thieves Guild'. They specialize in the acquirement of certain objects, ranging from the trivial to the highly secured. They also work alongside the assassins' guild. These people specialize in the elimination, black mail, maiming and other emotionally and or physically distressing aspects of criminal life.

"That is not to say that they are some sophisticated mob or something. Both guilds are run as a sort of monarchy, with the heads of their professions leading and making all the decisions, much as a king would. Now our man is the son of the current head of the thieves' guild. He goes by many names but his original name is 'Remy LeBeau.' He was second in command, sharing the power with his brother Henri."

"Of course all of this is just a string of rumors. They could easily be untrue or blown into something they are not."

"But you don't think they are." Kitty stated.

"I believe that most of it is at least... based in fact."

"That's all i need to know."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Finally, after months of training, she was finally ready. This was it, the big one.

"Marie you ready?" Remy called from outside the door.

She took a deep breath and smiled, opening the door.

"Let's do this." She grinned, and placed her bare hand in his

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	22. Chapter 22

"Ah Mr. Moore, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"Mr. Addams, how have you been?" Richard shook the man's hand, smiling warmly. "This is my wife Elizabeth." He boasted, slinging an arm around the petite blonde in his arms.

"Ah so nice to meet you." He smiled, extending a hand politely.

"A pleasure I'm sure." She purred, grasping his palm and shaking.

"Let's get down to business shall we?" the banker asked as they made their way down the corroder to his office.

"Of course." Richard said as they closed the door behind them.

They took their seats before the large desk and the meeting began. As it turned out, his wife was quite the financier. She took this opportunity to have the banker help her tie up some loose ends, just little things. No paperwork was exchanged and at the close of the hour, he was ready to leave.

"I certainly hope you'll consider my offer Mrs. Moore and I look forward to seeing you and your husband again."

"Thank you Mr. Addams, you have no idea how helpful you've been. We'll have to talk it over." She said warmly, grasping his hand in hers. The banker turned pale and after a few moments, slumped over. Meeting his wife's eyes, he checked the door and nodded.

Standing, she slipped her hand into his and together they walked out of the plush office, leaving an unconscious Mr. Addams in his chair.

"The poor man, I suppose old age is bound to do that to some."

"Indeed." He agreed, smiling as they made their way out of the bank.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"For a test run, I think it went pretty well." Marie purred, closing the door to their hotel suite and striding to the desk.

"Why Mrs. Moore, if I'm not mistaken I'd say you're quite taken with this new life you've got."

"I'm not sure what you're referring to Mr. Moore." She said, taking the notepad from the desk drawer and beginning to scrawl names and dates across the page.

"So what did you pick up from our favorite banker?" he asked, leaning over her shoulder and studying the credit card numbers, bank account codes and various safety deposit boxes to be looted. "And who are these people?" names weren't usually given on a job like this.

"No idea, but everything pertaining to anything financial had these names along with it so I thought I'd put them out there."

"You couldn't pick up what they meant?"

"Nope." She scowled, "Every time I tried I'd hit a mental block of some kind. Not quite sure what to make of it yet."

"Mental block?"

"Yes, mental block."

"What could be causing that?"

"Could be any number of things. I really have no way of determining what the cause is. I'm not that advanced yet." And it really bugged her.

"Well, we'll just have to figure it out the old fashion way. We're trying to turn you into a great thief, and as perfect as your powers are for this, we can't rely on them."

"Yah yah, bite me."

"Where and how hard?" he asked innocently

"My foot as I shove it down your throat."

"Aw but chere, there are so many other places I think we'd both get more enjoyment out of."

She shot him a look, but otherwise didn't comment. Allowing himself a little smirk, Remy watched as she finished writing, signing the bottom with an elegantly scrawled signature. These last few months had been nice for him, and he hoped for her as well. Her apprenticeship had been sailing along smoothly and the guild had high hopes for her. So did he.

Pickpocketing had been quickly mastered, followed by lock picking and basic hacking. She was fairly decent with a staff, having been determined to learn after watching Remy with it at the mall nearly a year ago. This job was big for her, though he hadn't told her yet. This was the first chance for her to really demonstrate her newly perfected skills, to show the guild that she was not only progressing, but excelling under his careful guidance.

They made a good team, her and him. They still argued. He still pushed her buttons, she still snapped at him. He was still nosy, she was still stubborn. He still flirted with everything in a skirt; she still cuffed him on the back of the head when he got out of line. It worked.

But lately it had changed. The flirting he did now seemed more out of habit than actual interest. She didn't hit as hard as she used to, nor did her voice contain as much venom as it once had. It was by no means gone, but perhaps not as severe.

And though she wouldn't admit it, he thought he'd catch her smiling as she held onto him as they rode through the backwoods. And he defiantly wouldn't tell anyone that he found himself longing for her slender arms to tighten around him as they speed along.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"When are they getting back?"

"Two days sir."

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes sir.

"Good." Yes, it was very good. He'd been waiting for this for years. Waiting to watch as the blood of a demon was spilt yet again, for the war he'd grown up fighting to begin anew, his own alliances secure and ready to seize power for themselves.

"Send a message ahead; say we are ready to proceed ahead of schedule. When they arrive, we will be prepared." A steely glint came into his eyes.

"And we will not fail this time."

0-0-0-0-0-0

"X-Men to the briefing room." Wolverine growled into the intercom, his voice carrying through the halls.

Kitty sighed, closing her laptop and setting it aside before allowing herself to sink down through her bed and into the vast metal room three floors down.

Soon enough the room was full and all sat looking at the picture of a largely over weight middle aged man.

"This is Mr. Charles Judd. Mr. Judd is a lawyer at a mid-level Seattle firm. He is also a member of the new anti-mutant organization known as the Friends of Humanity."

Kitty stiffened.

"As you know the Friends of Humanity have been responsible for hundreds of identified violent crimes against those with an active x-gene. We don't know yet who is in charge, or where they are based. Their estimated membership ranges anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000. Little to no information is available. Your mission is to find out anything you can about this man and his life. We want to get him on our side."

"When do we leave?"

"As soon as we're finished here." Wolverine brought up a list on screen.

An hour later, they were soaring over the plains of the United States mid-west on their way to the target.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"We got a hit on one of the people from your list." Henri said, turning to face the computer and smiling.

"Oh really?" Marie drawled, smiling slightly and leaning closer to the camera. "And?"

"You did good work, we're still tracking down the rest of the names, but this guy, a Mr. Charles Judd, seems to be less discrete than the others. He's one of the little, not important people, who work at the firm that represents your banker."

"What do we know about him?"

"He's thirty two and lives alone in an uptown apartment in Seattle."

"Lawyers make that much money?"

"I'm getting to that." He said patiently. "Now he's not the one who handles the cases for the firm but they do have another connection." He paused.

"And that would be?" she prompted impatiently.

"Both men attended the same church as children in some not important town south of the Georgia boarder."

"Okay but what does that have to do with….."

"Keep your shirt on doll face, I'm almost there." She huffed and glared through the camera but stayed silent.

"I dug into his financials. Once every two months, there is a hefty deposit put into one of his many, and may I add very well hidden, off shore accounts. These deposits range anywhere from fifty to seventy-five thousand dollars. The money comes from a foundation called 'the tree of life group'."

"What do they do?"

"Nothing, they're not real. It's a cover, a good one, but a cover none the less. We haven't been able to figure out who they're covering for, but we have been able to find where they're based."

"Have you?" she raised an eyebrow, "Care to enlighten me?"

"New York city, lower Manhattan."

"So when are we leaving?"

"You and Remy will be sent there after you return home." Henri felt s smirk pull at his lips. "Pere has something up his sleeve."

Marie groaned, rubbing her hands through her hair and closing her eyes. Henri chuckled and signed off.

There was a knock at the door and Jean-luc strutted into the room.

"I would have let you in."

"I'm a thief, it wouldn't have mattered if you'd let me in or not." He smirked, the nodded towards the still open computer. "Remy?"

"Marie."

"Ah, how is my future daughter in law?" he plopped his feet on the desk, sending various papers to the floor.

"Improving, though if she or Remy caught you calling them that they'd both try to strangle you." He gaffed.

"I'm a thief, I don't get caught."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"So what's the next step?" Marie asked, eyebrows pulled downwards as she concentrated on keeping herself suspended in the air.

"Magneto." Remy called from the bathroom.

"Not what I meant." She said as she allowed herself to float back down to the soft covers of the bed. Across the room, a pair of tweezers started spinning through the air, and she smirked.

"We head home I suppose." He answered again, coming out of the bathroom and smirking as the tweezers fell to the floor. "Having trouble staying focused?"

She blushed and looked away, sending the metal appliance spinning again and trying not to look at the man before her.

"Just put on some damn clothes." she said, though some part of her brain wanted him to stay in nothing but that towel.

"Why chere, that's not the reaction I normally get with this little number." He joked, striking a pose and laughing as her face turned a deeper shade of red. "Problems?"

She threw a shirt at his head and closed her eyes resolutely, focusing on her connection with the psyches and their powers.

"Why don't you take a break?" Remy murmured, sitting next to her and taking her gloved hand in his. She opened her eyes and turned to look at him.

It struck her how pretty his eyes were.

He smiled, sitting next to her and leaning back against the pillows. There was a small metallic ting as she leaned back with him and let herself relax.

As his arms tightened around her, Marie smiled and allowed herself to fall into sleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Something wasn't right; he could feel it in his bones.

Since they'd stepped off the plane, he'd known there was something off.

So when the shot came, he wasn't surprised.

What did surprise him was the blood that poured from his wound almost immediately.

And the girl who called out to him through the darkness.

"Remy!"

**I'm so sorry it took me so long to update and I want you to be honest. Do you think my writing is going downhill quality wise? I feel like it is. Oh and one more thing. Is anyone interested in proffing my chapters, maybe doing a nit of editing before I publish them, tweaking here and there. Just let me know. Anyways onto the review replies. **

**Snickerdoodle22: thank you for reviewing and I hope you'll continue to read.**

**rats xp: one update, incredibly late but here none the less **

**Doodle0505: no worries, there is more to come, I haven't even gotten to the big reveal yet.**

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